In a Different Light
by Sparkling Patronus
Summary: [Musicalverse] Full summary inside. When Dorothy finds herself with a chance to return to Oz, she will find that things are not always as they seem as old friends are reunited and perspectives are changed. FiyeroxElphaba with a bit of GlindaxBoq COMPLETE
1. Prologue

**Title: In a Different Light**

**Rating: K+**

**Summary: It had been four years since Dorothy left Oz behind, but the memories never left her. Now, at the age of fourteen, she wishes to go back. However, she will soon learn that things in Oz are not as they appear, as old friends are reunited and her whole perspective is changed for the better.**

**OK, so I know that writing a sequel to the musical is the most obvious and overused plotline out there, but I've wanted to write this for a while and it's been bugging me. I tried to score at least a few originality points by throwing Dorothy into the mix. Therefore, I am writing this and hoping that I can at least get a bit of positive feedback. If not, well I had fun writing it.**

**Right, so in the loosest sense this can be considered a 'sequel' to my first Wicked story 'The Inside Story'. I use this term tentatively considering that story leaves off in the same place the musical ended. I will call it that because background information and some minor aspects of the plot have been taken from its plot. However, you honestly have no need to read that fic to understand this one, although it is only nine chapters long and I wouldn't be opposed to people checking it out.**

**Well anyway I should probably stop rambling now and post the first chapter. It's pretty uneventful, it's just a prologue to show where we are when the story begins. Enjoy.**

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Dorothy Gale's life was going nowhere fast. At the age of just fourteen years old she felt so completely and totally alone in the world. It had been four years since she had traveled to a place called Oz, and she had never quite let those memories go. No one she had spoken to believe her fantastic tales, but they always smiled and laughed when she told her stories. She'd even heard Hunk, the farm hand, telling her aunt that Dorothy would probably grow up to be a writer. However, even though her family and friends brushed her stories of as the imaginings of a child, she knew the truth, and the thoughts of Oz had always served the purpose of making her smile when she was down. Now however, even thoughts of that magical place couldn't bring even the faintest ghost of a smile to her lips, even though she spent every moment of her waking life wishing she could return. 

It hadn't always been like this. In fact, when Dorothy had first returned from her trip to Oz her life couldn't have seemed brighter. She helped out around the farm and lived each day with a new found vigor and energy. She fed the chickens, milked the cows and did other chores, all the while thinking of the wonderful lives her friends in Oz must be living since the Wicked Witch had been melted. Her wicked neighbor Mrs. Gulch had also been incapacitated by her broken leg, and soon after she moved away, giving Dorothy no reason to fear trotting around her neighborhood with her little dog Toto at her heels. After taking that trip to Oz, she had begun to believe that anything in life was possible. After all, if there were such things as magic and talking scarecrows, who knew what else in life was possible. Dorothy's life seemed to be looking up and she her life couldn't have been happier.

Then Auntie Em had died.

It had been about a year and a half after her adventure when her aunt had suffered from a sudden heart attack. Her Uncle Henry had been out in town at the time and Dorothy had been in the field playing with her little dog Toto. There had been a sudden crash and Dorothy had rushed inside to find her aunt's body lying limply on the floor next to a stack of broken plates. Dorothy, shaken to the core by the sight, had rushed outside screaming, causing the three farm hands to come running. They had called an ambulance immediately, but by the time they had brought Auntie Em to the hospital it had been too late. She had died mere hours later, and that was when Dorothy's life had begun to fall apart.

Her Uncle Henry had been shocked by the news, and he hadn't been the same since that day. He became more distant and almost always shirked the company of others in favor of sitting alone in his room. Dorothy, who had been closer to Auntie Em than anyone else, had taken an even harder blow than her uncle. Her innocent idealist lease on life had been stripped away, and suddenly not everything was magic and rainbows. Dorothy, who had been eleven at the time, could not understand why this had to have happened to her, especially when her future seemed so bright. 

Over the course of the next three years the three farm hands, and Dorothy's only friends, had begun to leave, all for different reasons. Zeke was the first to resign when his mother fell ill and he was forced to return to his neighboring hometown to care for her. Hickory was the next to go when he found a job in the city and left to move on to bigger and better things. Hunk was the last to leave when he got married and left the farm to start his new life. All three expressed their grief at having to leave, but it did nothing to dull the pain of having to watch them go. Her uncle had hired two new farm hands to keep the farm going, but Dorothy wanted nothing to do with them, still feeling the pain of having to say goodbye to her old friends. The only friend she had left at that point was her little dog Toto, and she hardly ever let the little dog out of her sight anymore for fear of loosing him too.

The life that had once seemed so full and adventurous was now an empty shell. Her Uncle Henry, once so full of life, now walked around like a human robot and said hardly four words a day to her if she was lucky. She knew he blamed himself for what had happened to her aunt, even though it was in no way his fault. He felt that if he had been home with her that day they could have gotten help for Auntie Em sooner. Dorothy tried to convince him countless times that this was not true, but each time he brushed her off and went off to sit by himself.

Dorothy herself had changed as well. She was no longer the ignorant ten year old girl that she had once been. Her life had been cruelly flipped upside down, and these days she rarely smiled or talked to anyone but Toto. The only thing that got her through the day was a dream that someday, somehow she would be able to return to Oz. She longed to return to that place so full of friendly and familiar faces, where she could smile again and be truly happy. Thoughts of Oz kept her awake at night, the last threads of hope she could grasp at in an empty void.

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What Dorothy did not know was that things in Oz had changed since she had returned home. With the Wizard gone, a grief stricken Glinda had taken his place, still in shock over the sudden death of her best friend. The Scarecrow had seemingly vanished into thin air, and no one had seen him since that day the Wicked Witch had finally been defeated. The Lion had left the city in favor of becoming King of the Forest, and Glinda had appointed the Tinman the new governor of Munchkin land, since there were no remaining heirs to the throne.

It had taken a full year before Glinda could hear any sort of reference to Elphaba without having to lock herself in her room and sob silently into her pillows. Each year, she plastered on a smile and waved to the crowds as the celebrated the anniversary of the death of the "Wicked Witch of the West". She had no idea how the Ozians had not seen through her pitiful façade. She felt as though her pain and sadness was displayed on her face as plainly as a large neon sign.

However, slowly over the course of time the excruciating pain in her heart became a stabbing pain and finally faded to a constant dull ache. Glinda, though she knew she would never get over her friends death, knew Elphaba would not have wanted her to mope forever. Instead of letting herself sink into depression, she instead used her new title and political power to make changes in the laws that she knew Elphaba would be proud of. Slowly but surely, and so little at a time that the Ozians hardly even noticed, Glinda began restoring the rights of the Animals. First it was lifting the band that banished Animals from the city, which Glinda did under the guise that they were cheap labor. Soon however, she was building a small town for the animals to move into and creating a few public schools where the younger ones could receive an education. She gave them small jobs so that they could support their families, even though they could not work alongside the Ozians. Some Ozians opposed these reforms, but most so trusted their beloved leader that they decided to grin and bare it. So far she had done a lot for the Animals, who viewed her as a sort of hero, and she knew that Elphaba would be proud. However, she still had not made the final and most radical reform, which was making segregation of Animals illegal. Though she hated to admit it, she was afraid of how the Ozians would react to the when she finally went through with it. After all, having the Animals living in a small town on the outskirts of the city was one thing, but Glinda didn't think the Ozians would welcome them back into society with arms wide open.

However, Glinda's reign had not all been smooth sailing. In fact, she'd had her fair share of problems, the biggest of which had been Madame Morrible's escape from prison. About a month after Glinda had had her old headmistress locked up, the horrible woman had escaped by unknown means. The guards had gone down to the dungeons one day to find her cell empty, with no evidence that anyone had ever been there. For months after Glinda had slept with one eye open, terrified that Morrible would try to assassinate her in her sleep. She'd sent out search parties to scour the land, but nothing every turned up. The months turned to years, and Glinda convinced herself that Morrible was just hiding out somewhere and would not try to cause anymore trouble.

Another problem had been trying to get Munchkinland back on its feet after the death of its former leader. Although Glinda had been friends with Nessarose, she couldn't deny the fact that the girl had become a tyrant. The Munchkin's rights had been severely restricted, and it had taken some time to get things running smoothly again. However, after a year the Munchkins were living a tranquil life under the leadership of the Tinman.

Glinda had also been doing her best to improve her magical skills. Once she had been able to look at the Grimmerie without sobbing uncontrollably, she had begun to study it. Unfortunately, she was not nearly as naturally gifted as Elphaba, and discerning the seemingly meaningless scrawl had proven to be an extremely difficult task. She kept at it because Elphaba had asked her to, and Glinda was determined to honor her friend's memory in any way possible.

However, what Glinda did not know was that her old friend was really alive and well. After fleeing from Oz, Elphaba and Fiyero had found a very small cottage on the outer edges of society, almost out in the desert. They knew that no one in Oz ever traveled that far out because there was nothing there except for a few scraggly bits of forest. They'd been living together peacefully, although Fiyero's condition as a scarecrow made their situation a bit awkward. Elphaba had wanted to change him back, but she had left the Grimmerie with Glinda, and without she had no hope of finding a spell that could achieve such a purpose and so he'd been forced to remain a straw man However, they would not let each other's exteriors phase them, for the only thing they had was each other. That and an extremely makeshift little cottage they had managed to construct using a few trees and a little bit of magic that Elphaba had memorized. Elphaba had taken care to memorize quite a few useful spells before passing the Grimmerie off to Glinda for safe keeping and, with her high IQ and photographic memory, the knowledge had easily stuck.

At first it had taken a while for the two of them to adjust to their reclusive life, but they had each other and eventually they learned to live with that. Being so far away from civilization, they never heard any news of what was going on in the Emerald City, so the practically lived in their own little world. Elphaba would have been perfectly fine with this arrangement, had it not been for extreme guilt and anguish she felt at having to leave her best friend behind to mourn the death that everyone believed Elphaba had suffered. She hoped that her friend was living happily in the Emerald City and, although she knew it was foolish, she clung to a hope that she would somehow see her friend again someday.

On the whole, the current situation in Oz was tranquil for the time being, but that should have been the first sign that things were about to happen.

**And that's the first chapter. As I said, it's uneventful since the real story doesn't begin until the next chapter. I'm not sure I love that last line, but I couldn't figure out how to tie it together and just leaving it hanging there didn't seem right. Anyway, I'd really appreciate any reviews, so please leave one mp matter what you thought of this. I've already written this entire story out, so I'm just going to be posting chapters at my leisure. The more reviews I get, the more inclined I may be to post the next chapter a little early.**

**Thanks for reading. Till next time-S.P.**


	2. Ruby Slippers

**OK and here's chapter two. I was a bit disappointed by the lack of response from the first chapter, but many thanks to the two people who did review. This chapter is still a bit bland, but hopefully you'll find it a bit more interesting than the prologue. Anyway I hope I have at least a few readers who are enjoying this.**

**Without further adieu, Chapter 1**

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Dorothy walked toward the barn with a milk pail swinging loosely at her side and Toto trotting faithfully at her heels. The dog did not run ahead barking playfully as he once would have, but instead trotted silently at her side. Even the little terrier had sensed the change in his master's personality.

The pair entered the barn and Dorothy set the milk pail down under one of the cows to began her chores. Today was the three year anniversary of her aunt's death, and Dorothy was attempting to throw herself into her work so she wouldn't have to think about it. Her Uncle Henry had locked himself in his room for the day, as he always did on this depressing occasion. Dorothy let out a sad sigh and leaned backing her chair for a moment, staring into space. Toto took this as an opportunity to comfort her and jumped into her lap, licking her face softly. Dorothy finally seemed to break and buried her face into his soft fur, sobbing quietly.

"Oh Toto," she said, wiping a few tears from her face, "I don't know what I'd do without you." She scratched the dog behind the ears softly before pacing him back on the floor and continuing her chores.

When it began to grow dark Dorothy, Toto close behind, headed into the kitchen to make dinner. Not unexpectedly, her Uncle Henry was no where to be found, so she prepared a pot of stew and set it on the stove to cook. While she waited for it to finish, she sat on one of the rickety chairs at the kitchen table and stroked Toto's fur absentmindedly, her thoughts miles away.

When it was finally finished she took the pot off the stove and poured it into two bowls. Then she prepared a bowl of dog food for Toto and carried the two bowls of stew to the table. She called for her Uncle Henry halfheartedly but received no response, so she ate quietly by herself.

After she had cleaned the dishes, leaving her uncle's out in case he was hungry later, Dorothy lifted Toto into her arms and they headed up the stairs to her bedroom. They entered the small room and Dorothy closed the door behind them, setting Toto on his feet. She walked over to the bed and sat on the bottom corner, slouched over with her head in her hands.

"Oh Toto, how much longer do we have to do this every day. All I do is wake up, do chores, eat and then go to sleep. Didn't there used to be something more?" she spoke to the small dog, who she believed could understand every word she said, all the time. It seemed as if he was the only one who would listen.

Sliding off the bed, she dropped to the floor and looked underneath the heavy mattress. Reaching under the bed post slowly, she carefully pulled out an old cardboard box and set it in front of her, sitting up. She opened it more slowly and carefully than necessary, as she always did when dealing with this particular box. The lid was lifted away, and inside lay a pair of sparkling, blood red shoes. Dorothy pulled them gently out of the box and turned them over in her hands, remembering everything they stood for.

She'd had these shoes since she had returned home from Oz. She had finally been able to remove them from her feet after she had been brought home to the farm, and she'd been keeping them hidden under her bed ever since. She wasn't sure why she'd never shown them to her aunt and uncle, but the shoes seemed to be something that was completely hers, and she had thrilled in the idea of having a sort of secret to keep.

Now these shoes, these ruby slippers, had become something of a comfort to her. They were her last remaining link to a place very far away, and possibly the only thing that kept her believing in Oz when everyone else brushed it off as fantasy. She had never put the shoes back on; for fear that she would find herself unable to take them off once again. She had simply been happy to hold them and reminisce about better times.

Tonight however, something about the atmosphere felt surreal, and Dorothy stopped turning the shoes over for a moment. Uncrossing her legs, she slowly and carefully placed one of the ruby slippers on her right foot. Despite the fact that her foot had grown since she had last worn them, the shoe still fit like a glove, which surprised her. She slipped the other shoe on her left foot a little more quickly, and found that it fit perfectly as well.

She admired the shoes for a few moments before she stood up and studied her feet. For a moment she imagined she was in Oz again, just beginning her journey down the yellow brick road. At the time all she had wanted was to get home, but now she would give anything to get back. She was brought back to the present by Toto, who was yapping loudly as he recognized his master's choice of footwear.

Stumbling back to reality, Dorothy once again felt the hot prickle of tears behind her eyes, but she did not cry. She didn't know what she had been expecting when she'd put the shoes on, but she knew she'd been expecting _something_, even though her rationality was screaming at her to stop with her silly dreamings.

"There's no place like home my foot," she sighed bitterly to herself, still not tearing her eyes from the shoes. She bent down to take them off, but decided against it and climbed into bed with the shoes still on her feet. Maybe if she wore them to sleep she would dream of Oz tonight. She yawned widely, and barely registered Toto snuggling up beside her on the bed before she drifted off to sleep.

_"How can you talk if you haven't got a brain?" Dorothy asked. She was back on the Yellow Brick Road, stopped just in front of a very peculiar, yet familiar talking Scarecrow. _

"_I don't know, but some people without brains do an awful lot of talking," he replied, smiling._

_Suddenly the images changed and she was walking through a forest, arm in arm with the Scarecrow and the Tinman. "Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh my!" they repeated over and over as they skipped through the tangled trees of the ominous looking forest. Suddenly, with a mighty roar, a Lion jumped out into their path._

_Then suddenly they were before the Wizard asking him for their respective wishes. He gave them orders to get the Wicked Witch's broomstick, and suddenly they were in the Witch's castle, and Dorothy had poured a bucket of water onto the witch and melted her._

_Now the images blurred together so fast they were nearly unintelligible. They were journeying back to Oz with the broomstick, the Wizard was leaving in the hot air balloon without her, Glinda was telling her to click her heels together._

_Then suddenly she was in the house, flying through the air in a giant tornado. She glanced out the window and saw a witch on a broomstick. The house landed with a thump, and suddenly the dream faded out as Dorothy began to wake up._

Dorothy was aware that she was now conscious, but she was too tired to open her eyes yet and she instead turned over. That was when she realized something wasn't quite right. She felt Toto's wet tongue on her face and blinked her eyes open slowly, trying not to be blinded by a surprisingly bright light.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes, which were still itchy with tiredness. She cocked one eye open and was shocked when she found that she was not lying in her bed, but instead a small field near the edge of a forest. The grass was a bright green color and clusters of wild flowers grew sporadically in small patches. There were a few kinds of fruit trees at the beginning of the forest, but it was dark further in so she could not tell how far back these trees went. She found it a bit strange that such different types of fruit trees could be growing in such close proximity. There were apples and oranges, pears and peaches, even cherries and figs, and they were all growing clustered together as though someone had taken a bag of mixed seeds and scattered them randomly about.

Dorothy picked up Toto and hugged him close to her, smiling her first genuine smile in a very long time.

"Oh Toto! I knew there was some magic left in these old shoes!" she said, giggling slightly as Toto barked in agreement. She could not remember the last time her heart had felt so light.

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On this same morning Elphaba and Fiyero were talking quietly in their little cottage, both still drowsy with sleep. Though Fiyero was a Scarecrow he still had the ability to sleep, and though he didn't need to he usually chose to anyway. However, he no longer had any ability to eat or drink. Elphaba was the only one who needed food and she had taken care of that only a few days after they had gone into hiding. There was a small forest area only about a half a mile away from their home, and she had bewitched the trees to grow a variety of different fruits. It did not make for the most exciting meals, but it was good enough, and she had always tended to shy away from meat anyway, fearing it might have actually been made from a mute Animal instead of an animal.

Every morning the two woke up fairly early and spent an hour or so just talking quietly or sometimes sitting together in companionable silence. Later in the morning Elphaba would leave to pick all of the fruit she would need for the day and Fiyero would walk about taking in the surroundings. They had started making a map of the area they lived in about a year after they had taken up residence there. Elphaba had expressed her concerns about not knowing the area around their home well enough, and so Fiyero had begun drawing up the area on a piece of paper a little at a time, going a little bit further each day. Almost three years later he now had to walk pretty far out before he could actually begin drawing, and the map was now several sheets of paper long, which they kept spread out on the floor of their living room in the proper order.

After Elphaba returned they would usually just spend time walking by a small river that ran not too far away, and they sometimes paid a visit to a small group of Animals who lived out in the forest. This particular group was made up of a strange variety of Species. There were Lions, Tigers and Bears, but also smaller animals, such as Rabbits, Squirrels and Birds, and they all lived peacefully together. Obviously the predators had to hunt, but they hunted animals, not their intelligent Animal brethren. This odd bunch had been living on its own for so long none of them had heard news from civilization in an extremely long time, and therefore had not known anything of Elphaba's title, or that she and Fiyero were in hiding. This had made it easy for the pair to befriend a few of the more sociable Animals.

Their existence was a simple one, and it had taken some getting used to for both of them, especially Fiyero, but eventually they had resigned themselves to their reclusive existences, happy that at least they had each other. However, both secretly missed their old home and the grandeur of the city, and wished that there was some way they could return.

After they had finished their peaceful morning ritual, they both walked to the front door and kissed before heading in different directions to complete their respective tasks. Elphaba strolled along slowly, taking in the familiar sights she passed by each morning, and her thoughts drifted, as they so often did, to thoughts of her friend Glinda and the happy life Elphaba hoped she was having back in the Emerald city. Elphaba wished that there was at least some way she could check on her friend, but her crystal ball had been left back at Kiamo Ko.

Elphaba was so lost in her thoughts she was not paying particular attention to her surroundings, and so she did not notice that two apple cores were already lying on the ground when she reached the grove, nor did she pay any mind to the fact that one of the apple's trees branches had been bent where someone had pulled it down to pick its fruit. She simply gathered an armful of different fruits, turned around and began walking back toward her home.

Dorothy however, was as aware of her surroundings as ever. After she had awakened, she'd eaten two apples and let Toto chew on the cores for a little while. Then she'd started walking along the outside of the forest to the right. She had taken a few apples with her, since she planned to keep walking until she found some sign of civilization. Soon the ground began to slope upwards and she climbed up the hill until the ground flattened out at the top. However, when she turned back to see how far she had walked, what she saw made her blood run cold. There, standing by the grove of fruit trees was the Wicked Witch of the West. Dorothy could not mistake her, for even though she was not wearing her trademark black pointed hat, Dorothy knew she was the only green person in Oz.

Adrenaline suddenly coursed through her veins, and Dorothy picked up Toto and sprinted for all she was worth away from the forest, never chancing a glance backwards.

**And that concludes the first chapter, which I decided would be fun to end on a cliff hanger. Get used to it, cuz I tend to do that a lot. I think more than half of my chapters end similarly.**

**Anyway, please leave a review if you have the time. I could really use constructive criticism, even if you didn't particularly like the story. If I can get at least four reviews for this chapter I'll post the next one tomorrow, or even later tonight. Otherwise you're going to wait the usual 2-4 days for it.**

**S.P.**


	3. Animals

**Wow, I was actually surprised by the amazing response I got for the last chapter. Thank you so much for all of your reviews. As promised, here's the next chapter a little bit early. At the end, I'm going to respond to a few comments made in the reviews.**

**Anyway just a couple of things I want to clear up. I'm going to discuss Animals in this chapter. I will use the capitals when describing them, but whenever expressing Dorothy's thoughts on them, I will use the lowercase 'animals'. This is not a typo, it's simply because Dorothy doesn't understand the concept that there's a difference.**

Dorothy sprinted for a good ten minutes. Toto was surprised by the sudden departure, but after sensing Dorothy's distress he decided not to bark as a way of voicing his alarm. Dorothy ignored the pain in her legs and pushed forward until she thought her lungs would burst from the effort. She dropped to her knees, ignoring the sharp pain in her chest caused by lack of air, and panted. Looking backwards she saw no sign that the Witch had followed her, and she let out a sigh of relief that she had not been seen, for she could only imagine what would have happened to her if she had. The thought made her shudder.

How could this be possible? How was the witch still alive? Dorothy had killed her. She had seen her melt with her own two eyes. There had been a celebration in honor of the horrible woman's death and Dorothy and her friends had been honored as heroes. So how on earth was it possible that she'd seen the green woman not even fifteen minutes ago?

For a moment she thought maybe she had imagined it, but she brushed the thought off. She knew what she had seen, and besides she hadn't even though of the witch in four years, even when daydreaming of Oz. Why would she be imagining her now? Still in the after effects of shock, Dorothy could think of only one solution: she had to find Glinda and warn her. With the Wizard gone Glinda had been put in charge of Oz, and Dorothy knew that Glinda was the only one with enough power to oppose the Wicked Witch. But how was she supposed to get to Glinda? She had absolutely no idea where she was or how far away the Emerald City was. All she could see was grass, trees and flowers for what seemed like miles into the distance.

Sighing, she decided she didn't have a choice, and began to walk forward. If she was going to get to the Emerald City she'd have to find someone to ask directions from, which meant she'd first have to come across a town or city. She hoped there was one not too far away. After all, who knew how long the Witch had been plotting her revenge? No one would be safe until that green menace was gone for good.

So, with a new found determination, Dorothy called for Toto to follow and the two set off at a hurried pace. She'd been dreaming of returning to Oz for a very long time, and she would not let anything happen to this place as long as she could do something about it.

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At the same time in the Emerald City, Glinda the Good blinked her eyes open in the late morning sun, only to find something heavy covering her face. Sitting up, she carefully lifted the large leather bound book off of her face. She had fallen asleep reading the Grimmerie again, as she had so many times before. She'd made a habit of it actually. Every night she would lock herself in her room and open the large book on her bed. Then she would stare at it, trying to discern what was written on its worn pages until her eyes slid out of focus and she fell asleep sitting up or lying propped up on her pillow.

Unfortunately, staring at the pages every night did not really make the words on them any more discernable. Once she had tried chanting a few of the spells just to see what would happen. Most of them produced no results, but one of them had made the tip of her blanket alight, and she was forced to put it out with her slipper. After that she hadn't tried any spells without knowledge of what they meant, but she had memorized the little fire spell in case it came in handy later. Other than that, she really hadn't been making much progress in the magic department.

Once she had safely tucked the large book into a box in the corner of her large walk in closet she began to prepare for the day ahead of her. By now she had become confident in her role as Oz's leader, but she still felt that something was not right about it. Elphaba should have been there ruling too. After all, Elphaba could have done far more good for Oz than she could. She sighed sadly as the thoughts of her old friend came back. Though the pangs she felt in heart now were not as sharp as they were at first, Glinda knew they would never go away. She would always feel that constant dull pain in her heart where her best friend used to be.

Once she had selected a rather large and particularly frilly blue dress from her closet Glinda ambled over to the wardrobe and applied her makeup. She always prided herself on the care she put into her appearance. Self preparation truly was a lost art form.

Afterwards Glinda made her way downstairs for breakfast and checked on her itinerary with one of her servants. She had a meeting later on in the day with the Tinman, who she had found out a while back was actually the Munchkin boy named Boq who had been infatuated with her back at Shiz. It had been not long after Dorothy had left Oz when he'd approached her and asked if she would entrust him with the job of getting Munchkinland back on its feet. He had explained his situation to her, about how Nessa had been keeping him as one of her servants and how he wanted nothing more than to help the Munchkins regain their freedom. Glinda saw that he did care about the well being of his homeland and decided it would be a wise political move, since the Ozians already trusted and revered him as a hero.

She couldn't blame Boq for what he'd done. After all he'd thought he was doing he right thing. He'd been just as brainwashed by the Wizard as the other Ozians. It didn't mean she wasn't severely annoyed with him, but she couldn't hate him for it. However, he also blamed Elphaba for his being tin, and when Glinda had asked why she'd done it he'd told her that there was no method to the Witch's madness. Glinda knew there had to be more to the story than that, but she did not press the subject and so she never knew.

Since she had appointed Boq they had been having meetings once a month so she could check up on Munchkinland's progress and he could discuss any political issues he needed her advice on. They also took this meetings as a chance to just catch up. That was why they were meeting today, and so Glinda went and settled herself in the library as she waited for him to arrive.

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Dorothy felt as if she'd been walking for days, though in reality it was about three hours, before she finally saw a sign of civilization on the horizon. Already she could see small houses with citizens walking about on their daily business. She couldn't make out much more than that from a distance, but she hurried forward, excited by the idea of finally being able to ask someone for directions. She had been getting worried that she was walking in the wrong direction and actually heading away from where she needed to go.

When she finally reached the small town, she immediately noticed how strange it was. It was small, with slightly shoddy but not unlivable houses and walkways paved with cobblestones that were worn from use. There were a few shops that lined the street, selling a variety of items from groceries to books. It seemed normal in everyway, except for the fact that all of its inhabitants were Animals.

They were everywhere and there were dozens of species. Some rushed about and some ambled along, talking in a group or looking lost in thought. There was every kind of animal Dorothy could imagine, including some she'd never seen. There was a Turtle walking slowly up one street, her nose lost in a book. On another side of the path a strange group made up of a Cheetah a Wolf and an Antelope walked along, talking and laughing. A mother Hen was running across the street, ushering two baby Chicks in front of her with her wings.

Dorothy was completely shocked by the sight. She had been friends with a Lion, but she'd though a talking lion was a rarity even in Oz. She had never expected to see an entire town of talking animals that walked around on two legs. She couldn't recall having seen anything like this in Oz last time she was here throughout her entire journey on the Yellow Brick Road.

She entered the town through a side street and began to walk into the center, wondering who she should ask for directions. Toto trotted at her heels, looking nervous as he walked through the town filled with strange Animals. Dorothy soon became self conscious as she realized that the Animals were falling silent or muttering to one another as she walked past. She began to grow nervous that she wasn't supposed to be here. After all, she didn't really know any of the rules in Oz, especially since she hadn't been here in four years.

She walked for a little longer, her footsteps gradually slowing as she became more and more conscious of the fact that her presence was causing a scene. Animals moved out of her way as she walked, never taking their eyes off of her. Finally she halted in place, annoyed by her own ignorance, and asked, "Is something wrong?"

The Animals looked at each other for a moment, before one of them, a young Gazelle stepped forward from the crown, "You must not be from around here," she said, surveying Dorothy's outlandish clothing, "No humans have walked through this Animal town since Lady Glinda had it build. You're the first one."

"Oh," said Dorothy, "Well I'm sorry. I didn't mean…I mean I just arrived here and I sort of stumbled upon this town. I'm trying to find my way to the Emerald City."

"Oh it's not like that. People don't avoid this place because we don't want them here, it's because _they _don't want to be here," said a Fox who was standing next to the Gazelle.

"Oh but why?" asked Dorothy, surprised that anyone wouldn't find the site of so many varieties of talking animals amazing, "I think your town is wonderful"

"Well thank you, but most of the Ozians think we should be seen and not heard," said the Gazelle bitterly.

"It has gotten better for us since Lady Glinda's been in office though," said another of their companions, a portly looking Sheep.

"Yes, she's been improving the animal rights since she took office," the Fox agreed.

"Oh, Miss Glinda is exactly the person I need to talk to. Do you know how I can get to the Emerald City?" she asked.

"Sure," said the Gazelle kindly, seeming to relax to Dorothy's presence a bit, "I'll show you where the Yellow Brick Road starts, it's just a little ways off. My name's Sharline by the way."

With that Sharline turned and motioned for Dorothy to follow, which Dorothy did only after picking up Toto. The animals now began to go back about their business, though the three of them still attracted some weird stares as they continued down the narrow streets. They walked to the edge of town, where there was a dirt path that diverged into a yellow one about a mile and a half away.

"You can just head down and take that road all the way to the Emerald City. It's only about a couple hours walk from here if you hurry a bit.

"Thank you so much Sharline," said Dorothy, waving to the Gazelle as she walked off, setting Toto down so he could once again plod along at her heals.

"Well Toto," said Dorothy as she stepped onto the Yellow Brick road and saw the familiar color set against the ruby slippers she was still wearing, "At least we're on the right track now." Toto barked in response as he sped up a bit and trotted ahead.

**I'm just going to respond to a couple of comments left by reviewers.**

**a reader: Yes I know, there'll be more dialogue in coming chapters. Once we actually have some more interaction between the characters I'll add in more speaking parts.**

**Sigma1: I know I made Glinda seem more intelligent, but the way I see it she had to either sink or swim. She's been a political figure for four years now, surely she would have matured and gained experience in all that time, especially since she really wants to honor Elphaba's memory. **

**Thanks to everyone else who reviewed as well, I'm really glad you guys are enjoying the story so far. Please leave a review if you have the time because it really makes my day. Besides like I said, the more reviews I get the quicker I update. **

**S.P.**


	4. A Message Relayed

**You guys are awesome. Thank you so much for all of your wonderful reviews. At this rate I'll probably just be posting a chapter a day. This chapter should provide a bit more insight into Glinda's life, and it does have a lot more dialogue. Enjoy.**

Two hours later Glinda was still pacing back and forth in her study. Boq was late again, and, although she really didn't have anything better to do right now, she wished he could at least try to be punctual every once in a while. Finally, she looked up as one of the Gale Force Troops entered her room.

"The Governor of Munchkinland to see you ma'am," he said, bowing as he let Boq pass and left the room.

"Miss Glinda," he said, nodding politely as he stepped into the room, his tin joints clanking slightly.

"Hello Boq, please come in and have a seat," she said, fanning her dress out around her as she sat so it wouldn't get wrinkled.

Boq nodded and took a seat across from Glinda. He squirmed a bit, the way he always did in Glinda's presence. After all of these years he'd never quite gotten over his college crush, nor had he stopped putting the word 'Miss' in front of her name every time he uttered it. Glinda secretly found it cute that he was so nervous around her, but she of course never voiced this.

"So Boq, how are things in Munchkinland these days," she asked, leaning back into her chair.

"Oh things are running smoothly. There was a break in at one of the department stores last weekend and the thief wiped out quite a bit of jewelry. We've been searching for the culprit but so far nothing's turned up. Other than that things have been pretty quiet."

"Well that's good news than," said Glinda, "Anything else to discuss this month?" she asked.

"Surprisingly no," said Boq, "it's been a rather calm month"

"Well, if you've nothing else to report, do you mind if I ask your opinion on a certain matter for a change?" asked Glinda.

"Y-you want my advice? Well, I guess so Miss Glinda, but you know I'm not nearly as politically savvy as you are," he responded, wringing his tins hands together in such a way that they made a rather strange grinding sound.

"Well, I'm sure noticed I've passed quite a few acts dealing with the Animal issues over these past few years, have you not?" she began.

"Well yes of course, you said something about Animals being good for the work force. It's caused quite the controversy among the Ozians," he responded, not meeting Glinda's gaze.

"Yes well, I've been thinking it's high time I restore the Animal rights completely and make them full citizens. What do you think?"

Boq didn't seem as surprised as she had expected him to as he replied, "Well, I'm sure a lot of the Ozians have seen it coming. After all, you've done a lot for the Animals already. I personally agree with what you're doing for them, but I'm not sure everyone in Oz would agree."

"Yes I know, which is why I've refrained from passing the Act thus far. However, I have been their leader for four years, and if they're not going to accept my laws by now then I don't think they ever will," she responded confidently.

"Well yes, I suppose you're right Miss Glinda, but I'm still not sure the people will be thrilled with it," he said.

"Well they don't have to be. They just have to learn to live with it," said Glinda.

"I guess so. Why do you have so much concern for this particular project anyway Miss Glinda?" Boq asked curiously.

Glinda, who had been asked this particular question many times, already had her answer at the ready, "The animals are thinking, feeling creatures just as we are. They deserve to have the same rights that we do. I simply will not sit by and see any citizen of Oz treated unjustly"

"Well I personally think everything you've done for Oz since the Wizard's departure has been extremely helpful," said Boq.

"You've certainly whipped Munchkinland into shape as well Boq," she responded.

"Oh well th-thanks Miss Glinda." he stuttered, sure that he would have been blushing had he been capable of it, "It certainly took some time to get Oz on its feet after the whole Wicked Witch fiasco"

Glinda really wished Boq hadn't brought up this particular topic, but she took a deep breath and kept a straight face, "Yes, yes it certainly did"

After that their conversation turned away from political matters to a more casual discussion, as it usually did when they had finished discussing Munchkinland matters. Glinda had actually become quite comfortable around Boq, and considered him a friend at this point. He was in no way as good a friend as Elphaba had been, but at least he was someone to talk to every once and a while. Glinda had also begun to entertain the notion that she may be harboring some feelings for the tin Munchkin boy. However, she never acted on or acknowledged these feelings, mostly because she was not in the mood for any sort of relationship when there was so much work that had to be done as the ruler of Oz. Also, she had to take into consideration that his…condition would make any sort of relationship nearly impossible.

There was also one thing that bothered her about Boq. He was completely convinced that Elphaba was as wicked as everyone said she was. He was so sure that everything bad that had happened in Oz had been her fault, when it had really been the fault of Morrible and the Wizard. Glinda wished she could correct his deluded notions but, not only had she made a promise to Elphaba, she was not sure he would believe her anyway, and she really didn't need that mess on her hands at the moment. So she simply let him go on believing what he wanted and plastered a smile on whenever the topic of her best friend was breeched in conversation.

They talked for about three hours, during which time they simply just caught up. It had been going the same as any of their other meetings, until they were interrupted by the appearance of one of Glinda's palace guards.

"Miss Glinda," he said, feeling a bit out of place to be interrupting the ruler when she was entertaining a guest, "Very sorry to interrupt ma'am but there's a visitor hear who is requesting an audience. She says it's urgent."

Glinda stood from her chair, "You know no one's to be let into the palace without my permission"

"Yes ma'am," he said, wringing his hands a bit nervously, "but it's Dorothy Gale. We identified her by the ruby slippers she's wearing. She said she needed to see you. She was in near hysterics when we told her you were busy so we let her in. It seemed important."

Glinda and Boq were both shocked at the news, both having helped the girl when she had been in Oz the first time. However, the first time she'd crash landed in Oz she'd wanted nothing more than to get home, so neither could understand why the girl would be standing on Glinda's doorstep.

"Dorothy? Well send her in," said Glinda, her earlier annoyance at the guard dissolving.

The guard left the room momentarily and came back with a Dorothy Gale who looked older than Glinda remembered. However, she was unmistakable by the Ruby Slippers on her feet and the small dog that was cradled in her arms. The guard bowed before Glinda before leaving the room and closing the door behind.

"Hello Dorothy," said Glinda, putting on her overly exuberant smile as she welcomed the small girl into the room.

"Hello Lady Glinda," she said, before turning to Boq, "Mister Tinman I didn't expect to see you here,"

"Hello there Dorothy," said Boq, smiling in spite of himself. He'd become quite a close friend to this little girl when they'd been traveling and it was nice to see her again.

"The guard tells me you have urgent news, but before we hear it, might you tell us how you ended up in Oz again? I trust the ruby slippers brought you home safely the first time," said Glinda.

"Oh yes Glinda, and I was very grateful for it at the time. But you see, my life back in Kansas was falling apart. First my Auntie Em dies and my friends left, and now my uncle is practically unresponsive. I-I didn't know where else to go. I didn't even know what would happen when I put the slippers back on. I didn't know they would bring me here."

"Ah, I see. Those shoes can act as the gateway between our world and yours, but only if you want them to with all your heart. You must have really wanted to return to Oz for them to have worked," Glinda responded. Actually she had no clue whether or not this was true, considering she didn't really know everything about how those shoes worked. She'd made Morrible cast the spell on them so they could send Dorothy home, but she had no idea that they could work the other way around as well

"Well then Dorothy, what did you need to tell me?" she asked, wondering what was so urgent Dorothy had been in 'near hysterics' as the guard had said.

"Well you see Glinda when I woke up I was near a forest and I started walking to find out where I was. But then I turned around and I saw something, and I knew you were the only one I could come to!" she said quickly, a bit nervous about how Glinda would react to her news.

"What did you see Dorothy?" Glinda asked politely.

"I…well…I saw…"

"Yes?"

"I saw the Wicked Witch of the West"

**And there we have it, another one of my beloved cliff hangers. I know it's evil, but they always make for the perfect endings. Remember, reviews get the next chapter up faster, and they're also very much appreciated!**

**Till next time S.P.**


	5. We're Off

**OK guys, thanks again to everyone for the wonderful reviews! I very glad you like the way the story is shaping up so far and that I actually have readers. And now, here's chapter five. Once again, I will take a few moments after the fic to respond to some reviews. **

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"I saw the Wicked Witch of the West"

Time in the small library seemed to stop only for a moment, before Glinda spoke up, "Dorothy, that's impossible, we all know that the Wicked Witch melted. It was you who threw the bucket of water over her after all," said Glinda, trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice. That was two times today the subject of Elphaba had been brought up and she really didn't feel like discussing the topic again.

"I thought so too, but I know what I saw!" said Dorothy, "She was green, and she had the same color hair as well. I was too far away to see her face but I know it was her, I could just tell. You have to believe me Miss Glinda!"

"Was she wearing her hat? The pointed black hat?" Glinda asked suddenly, surprising both Dorothy and Boq. They couldn't understand, but Glinda knew that if it was someone impersonating Elphaba for a sick joke they'd have a copy of that hat on to complete the effect. Glinda, however; knew that Elphaba's one and only pointed hat was tucked safely upstairs in her closet next to the Grimmerie. It was a stretch, but it could count for something, and so she asked.

Dorothy paused for a moment to think about the question before she responded, "No, actually she wasn't. I remember thinking how strange it was that she didn't have it on. But Miss Glinda she could have decided no to wear it. You must believe me!"

But Glinda's mind was already miles away, her heart swelling with false hope even though she tried to suppress it. But what if what Dorothy was saying was true? After all, Elphaba was the most powerful sorceress Glinda had ever met. If she wanted to pull a stunt and fake her death, well it wasn't completely impossible was it? But then, why wouldn't Elphaba have told Glinda if she was going to run? Why would she have just left without a word, letting her best friend believe she was dead for four long and painful years?

Boq, upon hearing Dorothy's news, had jumped out of his seat, but he had only just regained the ability to talk, "Surely this can't be! Miss Glinda, it's not possible is it?" It couldn't be true. He'd been there when it had happened! All of his pain and suffering, all he had done for Oz, it just couldn't all have been in vain.

Glinda had decided on her course of action before her rational thinking had kicked back in. She had to investigate Dorothy's claim. She knew she'd never get another wink of sleep if there was even the faintest ghost of a change that her friend was still alive. Besides, if it turned out to be a false claim, at least she could help put all three of their minds to rest.

"Dorothy, do you remember what direction you came from?" she asked.

"I'm not sure, but I passed through a town full of talking animals to get here and I spoke with a Gazelle named Sharline. She could probably tell us which direction I came in from."

"You probably passed through Roselburg," said Glinda, "It's a town I had built for the Animals a while back on the outskirts of Munchkinland. It's the only one like it thus far.

Glinda turned to Boq.

"Boq," Glinda said, "I'm going to check this out. I'm putting you in charge of Oz until I return," Glinda only planned to be gone for a few days, and she couldn't think of a better person than Boq to cover for her while she was gone.

"Miss Glinda you can't be serious! What if it does turn out to be the Witch? I won't let you go alone!" said Boq, alarmed at Glinda's sudden decisiveness.

"Don't worry, chances are it's most likely a red herring, and besides, even if it was the Witch I'm more equipped to handle her than anyone else," this was only because Glinda knew the truth about Elphaba, but Boq didn't have to know that, "What I need you to do right now is cover for me while I'm gone. Can you do that for me?"

"Miss Glinda…"

"Boq," she replied sternly.

Boq sighed, defeated, "Alright, but you do know if anything happens to either of you it's on my conscience"

"Don't worry Boq, we'll be fine. I'm not going to tell the guards where I'm going; I'll say I just need to take care of some business. Don't you tell anyone where I've really gone either. No need to worry them if it does turn out to be a false alarm," she said quickly.

"And if it isn't a false alarm?" he asked.

"Then I shall deal with it accordingly. Come along Dorothy," and before Boq or Dorothy had time to blink Glinda had dragged Dorothy out of the room and Boq was left standing there by himself, shaking his head.

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After Elphaba had returned back to the cottage with the fruit she had unloaded her bundle on the table, selected a particularly ripe peach, and wandered off into their small living room area to wait for Fiyero to return. She sat down on a makeshift wooden bench they'd made from the leftovers of the wood they'd used to build their home, which was pretty much how they'd made all of their furniture. While she munched on her fruit she studied the map that they kept fanned out on the floor. Fiyero was a fairly good artist, and he'd done a pretty good job of getting the small details on the map. He hadn't found anything particularly interesting in the time he'd bee working on the map, but it put both of their minds at ease to be better familiarized with the surrounding area.

About a half an hour later, Fiyero walked through the door, a pencil and slightly wrinkled piece of paper clutched in his hands.

"Find anything interesting," asked Elphaba, looking up as he entered the room.

"Not really, just some more trees and wildflowers," he said, handing her the piece of paper so she could examine it.

"Sounds fascinating," she said, smirking slightly as he came over to sit next to her.

"Well you know, we live in the most bustling and exciting area in all of Oz," Fiyero retorted jokingly, putting his arm around Elphaba as he sat down next to her.

Elphaba leaned her head on his shoulder, enjoying the serenity she always felt when she was near him. She closed her eyes and mumbled, "Do you ever miss it?"

"Miss what?" he asked, glancing down at her.

"Living in the city. Living around other people at all for that matter," she responded, lifting her head to glance up at him.

"A little sometimes, I guess. It doesn't really bother me much. I'm perfectly happy living here with you. I love you Fae," he said, planting a kiss on her forehead.

She smiled and leaned into him further. No matter how many times she'd heard him say those words her heart still felt light whenever he did. Four years later this feeling of being so deeply in love with someone and being loved back still seemed a foreign concept to her. She didn't know what she would do if he wasn't here with her.

"I love you too," she mumbled, burying her face into his straw chest.

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Dorothy had found that magic was not Glinda's only talent. In the course of just ten minutes, Glinda had managed to pack a small bag, including a new dress, a hairbrush, a small amount of food and an extra pair of shoes. She was still marveling over the fact that Glinda had crammed so much into an ordinary sized travel bag, especially considering the size of the extravagant dresses she always wore. After they were packed, Glinda had announced her short trip to the guards, as well as the fact that Boq would take charge in her absence. That finished, she'd simply conjured up two bubbles with the flick of her wand and they'd gone out the window. Some Ozians had seen her leaving and had been curious. This was the first time Glinda had left the city since her rule. She'd been so busy she'd really never had time to take a trip.

Now that Glinda's common sense had kicked back in, she realized she'd been a bit rash in her decision making. Even if by some chance the person Dorothy had seen was Elphaba, and even if they did find the grove of fruit trees Dorothy had mentioned, they still had no idea whether or not it was anywhere near where Elphaba was staying. Was she staying in a house, a cave, a hidden clearing in the woods? How would they find her? Glinda also began to wonder how wise it was to drag Dorothy along. Of course, she wouldn't have any chance of finding this place without Dorothy, for she needed the girl's direction. But what was she going to do if they did find Elphaba? She sighed; this seemed a lot more complicated now that she was actually thinking about it.

It only took them about fifteen minutes to reach Roselburg by bubble, considering it was a noticeably quicker means of transportation. They began to descend, and the Animals pointed and looked to the sky in surprise. They alighted softly on the ground and the bubbles popped, caused Dorothy to stumble forward as Glinda stepped daintily out of hers.

"No cause for alarm good Animals, we just need to speak to someone named…" Glinda looked to Dorothy for help, for she couldn't remember the name of the Animal Dorothy had spoken to.

"Sharline. She's a gazelle I think," said Dorothy looking around to see if she could spot the Gazelle in the crowd.

"She means a Gazelle of course," said Glinda quickly, "She's new around here."

"Oh, sure it's no trouble at all," said an elderly Gopher, "Anyway, I'll take you to Sharline. Everyone knows everyone else in this small town."

"Thank you sir," said Glinda. The Gopher motioned for them to follow and they began to walk after him.

He led them down a few narrow streets and to a line of apartment buildings. Glinda could still remember seeing the blueprints for this town before it was built, and she found herself quite satisfied with the way it had turned out. She really should have paid a few visits before this, but she'd never really thought of that as she was running around with all of her duties in the Emerald city.

The Gopher halted in front of a building at the end of a line of apartments and Glinda and Dorothy had to stop short to avoid crashing into him.

"Well this is the place," he said, jerking his head toward the building for emphasis, "Hers is the apartment on the top"

"Thank you kindly good sir," said Glinda.

"No problem at all Miss Glinda, Miss…"

"Dorothy"

The Gopher nodded in response, and with that he began walking back down the road in the opposite direction. Glinda watched him go for a few moments before walking up the front steps and ringing the doorbell of the apartment. They waited for a few moments before the young Gazelle answered the door, looking shocked at her company.

Dorothy stepped forward, "Hello again Sharline. We're terribly sorry to bother you, but I talked to you when I first arrived, and I was wondering if you possibly remembered what direction I came into town from."

"O-of course Miss Dorothy. I see you found your way to the Emerald City," she said, curtsying to Glinda quickly before she continued speaking, "Right, let's see. I believe you came in from the East side of town. I remember because I'd been standing right outside the Florist's when I spoke to you"

"And which direction is that," Dorothy asked curiously.

"Uhhhh…it's that way," she said, motioning to the left with one hoof, "Just keep going straight in that direction and you should find the place where you entered town."

"That's all we needed to know. Thank you for your time Ms. Sharline," said Glinda, flashing one of her signature smiles. With that she stepped off of the front porch, summoned two bubbles, and she and Dorothy were on their way once more, leaving the bewildered Animals of Roselburg in their wake.

**Well there you have it. This was an important chapter in the story, so I'm kind of hoping I didn't botch it. Tell me what you thought, it only takes a few seconds to leave a review! I just want to respond to a couple of reviews.**

**WickedJelly: Thanks for your reviews. Yes, I'm fairly certain there's always going to be a bit of blond ditz left in Glinda, no matter how politically savvy she becomes. **

**GldnWlf: Yes I know what you mean. I personally don't think Boq (or Dorothy for that matter) were really cold hearted killers. They were just misinformed and did what they thought was right. I know Dorothy laughed in the book, but I prefer the movie anyway, and it was only self defense.**

**Thanks to everyone else who reviews again. I hope to continue hearing from you.**

**Till next time S.P.**


	6. Glinda: Super Sleuth

"OK, so she said it was…this direction," said Glinda, steering the bubbles in the designated direction while trying to contain the excited squeal she felt building in her throat. She knew she shouldn't be doing this, getting all riled up with false hope. She still wasn't so sure what had caused her to take off so suddenly on this little quest, but she still felt little shivers of excitement running up and down her spine at the thought that there was even the slimmest of chances she would see her best friend again. She would worry about Dorothy later; right now her mind would allow her to focus on only one objective, and that was locating the mysterious person Dorothy had spoken of.

"Tell me if you see anything that looks familiar," said Glinda, scanning the ground absentmindedly.

Dorothy meanwhile, was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable with the bubble travel at this point. She was afraid to move even an inch for fear that she would pop her bubble and plummet to the ground. The fact that the bottom of the transparent bubble gave her a full view of the ground some miles below was not helping much. Clutching Toto close to her chest, she took a deep breath and looked down, keeping her eyes peeled for the small group of trees. She was beginning to grow unsure if she could spot them from this high up when she spotted a hill that dipped into a small forest. Remembering her scramble up hill after she'd seen the Witch, Dorothy called out to Glinda.

"I think it was down there Miss Glinda," she said, hoping their landing wouldn't be too bumpy.

"Alright then, I'll bring us down," said Glinda, and with a swish of her wand they began to descend. Dorothy chose to squeeze her eyes shut until she heard the faint sound of the bubble popping and felt solid ground beneath her feet.

"Here?" asked Glinda, surveying the area quickly before returning her gaze to Dorothy. True, if Elphaba was hiding out this was the perfect spot to choose. They were pretty far out into the countryside of Oz, almost near the desert. There was nothing here but plains, every so often indented with a swamp or small patch of forest. Not exactly a prime vacation spot.

Dorothy didn't respond, but instead walked around the small forest. She found she had chosen the right area after all as she came to a stop in front of the small patch of fruit trees. She could even recognize the tree she'd picked apples off of not too long ago.

"This is where I saw her," she said, looking to Glinda for further instruction. She'd found the place they were looking for, but the Witch was clearly not here. Where did their plan go from here?

"Dorothy, where was the Witch standing when you spotted her," asked Glinda, wincing involuntarily as she used the cruel nickname for her friend.

"Well ummm…I remember I had begun walking that way," she started, gesturing to the right, "and then I turned and saw the Witch walking over from that direction." She pointed straight ahead as she finished speaking, and Glinda's eyes drifted to the direction Dorothy was indicating.

"Well then, I guess that's as good a direction to start off in as any," said Glinda, turning on her heel and beginning to walk. Dorothy followed; secretly relieved Glinda hadn't summoned the bubbles again.

They walked for about fifteen minutes, but nothing about the area seemed out of the ordinary. In fact, they hadn't passed anything at all so far other than a few patches of flowers. After a few more minutes of walking, Glinda began to worry. They couldn't really be sure they were headed in the right direction at all. After all, all Glinda had was Dorothy's word about a mysterious person she had no proof even existed. She sighed and stopped for a moment, almost causing Dorothy to crash into her,

"What's the matter Miss Glinda?" she asked, startled by the Good Witch's abrupt halt.

"I'm just trying to see if we're going the right way," Glinda said absentmindedly, trying to find some sign that they were headed in the right direction. Looking down with a sort of observational skill she didn't even know she possessed, Glinda realized that the grass they were standing on was slightly worn, as if it were walked on quite often. Following the worn trail with her eyes, she saw that it veered off to the right and into a small patch of trees about two dozen yards away.

"Dorothy," said Glinda, not taking her eyes off of the discreet trail, "Let's head this way"

With that, Glinda turned, eyes trained on the ground, and began to follow the path. Dorothy looked slightly confused by this, but followed Glinda without comment nonetheless. The followed the path to the small forest, but stopped short before entering the woods it diverged into. These woods were unlike the small grove of fruit trees. Instead of lush, green branches, the trees of this forest were dead and gnarled, giving the whole place an ominous look. Dorothy wondered why anyone would possibly want to live in such a place.

The weight of this situation finally hit Dorothy. Here she was, standing outside the woods that could very well house the Wicked Witch of the West with only Glinda there for protection. She started to shake a little bit, the gravity of the situation crashing down around her.

Glinda however, only took a deep breath and pressed forward, entering the woods without so much as a glance backwards. Dorothy stepped tentatively after her, clutching Toto tightly. The small dog began to whimper in her arms.

They walked on through the ominous trees, and Dorothy was reminded of the first time she'd traveled through a dark forest in search of the Wicked Witch of the West. It was hard to tell which time she'd been more frightened. However, it was somewhat comforting to have Glinda the Good Witch there with her. After all, she was the only one in Oz with the power to stand up to the Wicked Witch. At least that was what Dorothy had heard anyway. Still, she couldn't help but jump at the slightest sounds, be it the snapping of a twig or the rustling of the leaves.

Dorothy, who at this point was so jittery she couldn't stop her hands from shaking, looked up suddenly as she heard Glinda make a small triumphant noise. Dorothy gasped; panic seeping its way slowly into her heart. There, in the middle of this little forest, sat a small cottage. It wasn't much to look at really. It was made completely from wood, which was held together in a way that shouldn't have been physically possible. There was no glass in the windows, but yet it was so dark in the little cottage she could not see inside anyway. The whole place looked more like an abandoned shack than a home, but nonetheless, Glinda strode confidently forward and knocked on the door firmly three times.

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Inside the small cottage, Elphaba and Fiyero jumped from their kitchen table with a start. It sounded as if someone was knocking on their door, but no one knew they lived here. Not even the Animals they had befriended knew the exact location of their modest home, so there was no way anyone could possibly be visiting. But the knocks came again, and Elphaba and Fiyero exchanged worried glances. They'd have to answer the door. Not much was keeping whoever was outside from getting in if they really felt the need to after all.

"Fae," Fiyero whispered, so softly that even Elphaba almost didn't hear him, "you hide. I'll see what the trouble is"

"No way Fiyero. What if whoever it is has ill intentions?" she said, giving him her most stubborn gaze.

However by now Fiyero was very familiar with Elphaba's unrelenting determination and it didn't faze him any more.

"Well if they do they'll have a hell of a harder time harming me than you! Look, just go into the living room. If there's really any trouble you'll obviously hear it." He said, his tone growing urgent as the knocking became louder and more impatient.

Elphaba was still staring at him hard, and for a moment he thought she would continue to argue with him. However, after a few moments she whipped around and reluctantly made her way into the living room. Fiyero breathed a sigh of relief before he strengthened his resolve and turned toward the door.

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Glinda knocked again, and then a third time, and soon became frustrated when no one answered the door. What if this really was just some old abandoned cottage? No, she'd come too far to turn back now. This had to be their home. They had to be here, they just had to!

Glinda sighed resignedly when the doorway remained empty after five minutes. Dorothy was becoming fidgety, and kept glancing over her shoulder as if expecting an axe murdered to make an attempt on her life at any moment. Then suddenly the door opened and there standing in the doorway, was the Scarecrow.

Glinda gasped in surprise as he came to the door. It was a familiar face, but not the one she'd been expecting at all. Dorothy, however; brightened considerably at the sight of her old friend.

Fiyero nearly gasped openly in surprise as he opened the door and found Glinda and Dorothy standing on his doorstep. Whatever he had been expecting, it had most certainly not been this. What should he do now, play it cool and hope they would leave? Would he have to invite them inside? He stood frozen in the doorway until Glinda, who appeared nearly as shocked as he was, spoke up. He had no idea how she'd found this place, or why she'd dragged Dorothy along, but the look in her eyes clearly said that she knew what she'd been searching for.

"Oh my, hello there Scarecrow…long time no see," said Glinda nervously, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice. How could this be? Dorothy had said she'd seen the witch here and they'd followed all of the clues. How was it possible to have run into the completely wrong person.

"Hello there Scarecrow. It's nice to see you again," said Dorothy, smiling brightly.

"Uh hello there Miss Glinda…Miss Dorothy," stammered Fiyero. He decided quickly he should play along and have them leave. He knew Elphaba would probably be disappointed, but it was best if no one knew where they were hiding, especially since Glinda had felt the need to bring Dorothy with her for whatever reason. "What brings you here?"

"Well you see, we were looking for someone else actually. Dorothy here, well she came to me and told me that she'd sighted the Wicked Witch of the West, and we just-"

However, Glinda's sentence was cut short by a shrill scream form her left. Dorothy, her face pale, was pointing toward the window, looking aghast. Glinda, surprised, looked up at where Dorothy was pointing just in time to see a flash of green disappear from the window.


	7. Awkward Encounters

**Hey guys. I feel like an idiot. I totally forgot my author's note last chapter. I posted it during a study period, and my friend Alex kept turning around asking me to entertain her. I was rushing, and I posted and turned off my laptop. Only then did I curse as I realized I'd forgotten my note, but by then it was too late to reboot my laptop. I'll have to make up for it in this chapter.**

**OK, I'm posting twice today because I don't know if I'll get a chance to post tomorrow. You see, my grandmother sadly passed away this weekend, and I have to attend a funeral tomorrow. Therefore I'm giving you this chapter now. I'll answer questions at the end, including questions from last time. This is a crucial chapter, so I really hope it came out alright.**

Elphaba had walked toward the back of the living room, but as soon as Fiyero had turned his back to get the door she'd changed her course. In an act of defiance against her overprotective husband, she had gone to watch whoever their unexpected visitor from the front window. What she saw had nearly made her fall over.

There, standing on her doorstep, was her best and only friend Glinda, and standing alongside that Dorothy girl who had tried to kill her. She had no idea how Glinda had found them here, and she was really confused as to why Glinda would bring that obnoxious little girl along. It took everything she had to keep from calling out to Glinda. There she was, the one person Elphaba had missed more than anyone else in the world during their reclusive hiding, and Elphaba probably wouldn't even get a chance to talk to her. She sighed softly, and resigned herself to watching the scene unfold from her place in front of the window.

As was to be expected, Glinda seemed shocked when Fiyero answered the door. Elphaba wondered what Fiyero would say to them. She knew he'd try to get them to leave. It was his firm belief that they would put themselves and anyone who knew their location in danger if someone was to find out. Turning her eyes from Glinda, she looked to Dorothy instead. The complete opposite to Glinda's reaction, this girl was smiling brightly as Fiyero stood in the doorway.

However, after a few moments of listening to Glinda and Fiyero talk, Dorothy became a bit fidgety and began to look around. Elphaba thought nothing of this, at least not until the girl's eyes locked with her own and Dorothy let out a shrill scream.

Elphaba ducked out of sight, fear constricting her heart. She'd been spotted. She pressed her back to the window, hoping she was now out of sight. She could no longer hear the voices outside over the loud pounding of her own heart. She scrunched herself up and hid her head in her knees, wondering what Fiyero would do to get out of this one.

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Glinda let out a soft gasp as a flash of green disappeared from the window. Frankly, she had no idea what was going on at this point. She only associated one person with the color green, but it was most certainly not anyone who would have taken up residence with the Scarecrow.

Fiyero, who had also started and turned toward the window at Dorothy's scream, was now feeling the waves of panic was over him. He hadn't turned quickly enough to see anything in the window, but he could pretty much guess what had happened from the women's reactions.

Glinda, her curiosity peaked, tried to see behind the Scarecrow, but he blocked her line of vision.

Growing frustrated, she said, "If you don't mind Mr. Scarecrow, I'd just like to have a look around your house for the briefest of moments"

"No!" shouted Fiyero. But he soon realized he sounded far too alarmed and tried to cover, "Umm…it's really a mess inside. I'd be embarrassed you were to see it Lady Glinda."

"Oh don't worry Scarecrow. I'm sure it has that same lovely woodland charm on the inside as on the outside," she said. Something was going on here, and she was intent on finding out what it was.

Motioning for Dorothy to follow, she pushed past Fiyero and into the entryway of the small home. Fiyero tried to stop them for a moment, but it was a futile attempt to keep the determined Glinda out. Glinda felt a bit bad about barging into his home like this, but as ruler of Oz she did have the right to inspect houses as she saw fit. It might not have been for the reasons she was doing it now, but she was willing to overlook that fact.

Fiyero was now officially in panic mode. Glinda knew. There was no way to get around this, and there was no telling what the outcome would be. He may not have even been so nervous if Dorothy wasn't there, but as it was he couldn't be sure word of their hiding wouldn't get out. Fiyero protested weakly, his mind whizzing as he tried to think up a plausible reason why the two ladies should step back outside. However, he came up with nothing and, before he knew it, it was too late.

Glinda walked past Fiyero and into the second of the three rooms of their small cottage, turning toward the window she'd seen from the outside just moments ago. She didn't know what she was thinking. In fact, she seemed to be running on the adrenaline that had kicked in after seeing that green in the window. That was made it all the more shocking when she spotted the green women sitting just under the window, her arms wrapped around her legs head buried in her knees. There was no mistaking her.

Glinda blinked twice. Her mind took a few moments to register what she was seeing. This was it, she had found her friend. All background noise seemed to filter out at that moment as Glinda stood frozen at the threshold. She'd planned ahead this far, but she hadn't really thought about what she was going to do if they actually found Elphaba. Especially since Dorothy was standing right next to her.

Dorothy likewise had frozen in place, but for completely different reasons. She didn't know what she'd been expecting when Glinda had dragged her into the house, but it certainly not to find the Wicked Witch of the West sitting under the window in the Scarecrow's living room. None of this made sense. Why was the Wicked Witch in the Scarecrows house? Why wasn't the Scarecrow terrified that she was there, or had he already known? Why wasn't Glinda doing anything, but simply standing at the entrance to the small room. Terror swept through her confused thoughts, and she backed up against the wall, which no one seemed to notice as time hung suspended in the air for a few long moments.

Suddenly however, everyone in the room seemed to break out of their stupor. Dorothy had expected Glinda to gasp in surprise, to cast a spell, to confront the Witch with an angry voice. She didn't know exactly how she'd hoped Glinda would handle the situation, but she let out a choked gasp as Glinda, throwing caution to the wind, rushed over and _hugged _the Wicked Witch of the West.

Elphaba, who had been oblivious to the happenings in the room since she'd been spotted at the window, jumped up and nearly shouted in alarm as a pair of arms suddenly enveloped her. Glinda started a bit too at her friend's suddenly reaction, but did not relinquish her grasp on Elphaba. Fiyero, who was still watching the scene unfold from the doorway, didn't know what to make of this development, and so he remained silent.

"Elphie," Glinda squealed in a way she hadn't since she'd become the ruler of Oz. She didn't care if she was being immature. She was hugging her best friend, the best friend she'd believed to be dead for four years. Elphaba, though still surprised, also couldn't help a small smile from creeping onto her face as she patted her friend awkwardly on the back, unsure how to respond in this situation.

Fiyero watched the reunion between the two women, relieved. He knew that the one thing Elphaba had wanted more than anything else was to see her best friend again, and although he had only thought of the possible dangers involved, perhaps it was better that Glinda had found this place. After all, he knew Elphaba would never have been truly happy if she'd never seen her best friend again. He too couldn't keep the smile off of his face as he watched Glinda cling to Elphaba like a lost child. Elphaba looked sufficiently awkward as she smiled at her friend.

"Y-you…" came a weak voice fro the other side of the room. Three heads snapped in Dorothy's direction, for they'd all forgotten the young girl was even there in the course of their little reunion. By now Dorothy was backed up against the far wall, fear written across her unusually pale features. Her little dog Toto was at her heels, whimpering softly as he realized how distressed Dorothy was.

Glinda, who realized how this situation must look to the girl, turned away from Elphaba and tried to think of something to say to Dorothy. However, all she could come up with was, "Dorothy…this isn't what you think"

A look of betrayal came over Dorothy's face now, "Glinda, how could you do this," she fumed, "I looked up to you, you know! I thought we were going after the witch so we could stop her, and here you are, acting like she's some long lost sister or something. I thought you were on our side, not the side of the Wicked Witch of the West!"

Elphaba watched silently as the little girl exploded at Glinda. In all truth Elphaba hadn't even noticed she was in the room up until this point. She listened, feeling slightly awkward and annoyed at the same time as the girl went on a tirade against her. Of course, she'd never really given the girl reason to believe anything else. After all, the last time she'd seen this girl she'd locked her in a tower. Of course, Elphaba hadn't been in the most stable frame of mind at the time, but she still wasn't too proud of her actions. She couldn't say she liked this girl, in fact she found her rather obnoxious. However, she couldn't really despise her either. After all, Dorothy had been a young and naïve ten year old the last time she'd visited Oz, and she'd simply been listening to lies and following orders. Elphaba felt the strong urge to ask Glinda why she'd dragged this girl along in the first place, but she decided now was probably not the right time to speak. The tension in the room was so thick she felt as if she was suffocating.

Glinda just stared at Dorothy as the girl shouted at her. She had no idea what she could say to calm the girl down. She could try the truth, but she didn't know if Dorothy would believe her. After all, she'd been living with the lies about Elphaba for a long time. Just then, Fiyero stepped in.

"Gosh Dorothy, calm down. There's an explanation for all of this," said Fiyero, trying his best to slip into the happy-go-lucky voice he'd perfected when they'd been on the Yellow Brick Road, and Elphaba couldn't help but smirk as she heard the tone of voice he was using. It worked though. Dorothy, though angry at Glinda, turned to Fiyero as he spoke. She didn't know how much trust she had in Glinda at the moment, but she'd grown quite close to the Scarecrow last time she'd been in Oz, and she considered him a trusted friend. If he was going to speak, she would listen to his explanation.

Glinda felt grateful to the Scarecrow for helping out before the situation got ugly, but his presence here still really bothered her. Why would the Scarecrow, one of Oz's four most exalted witch hunters, be hiding the "Wicked Witch of the West" in his cottage? She turned to look at Elphaba, who had an amused smirk on her face as she watched him speak with Dorothy. It didn't add up. Besides Glinda herself, there'd only been one other person that Elphaba had trusted enough to accept help from, especially help in hiding away from the rest of Oz. What was more, Elphaba seemed completely relaxed around the Scarecrow, and Glinda knew her friend was not a very trusting person.

That was when an absurd thought struck Glinda. She'd simply assumed Fiyero was dead, but she'd never seen any proof. His body had never been found, but Glinda had not seen fit to look any further into it. She remembered seeing Fiyero being tied up in a field before she'd been dragged off by the Gale Force and Elphaba had escaped. Surely Elphaba would have tried some sort of spell to save Fiyero's life…. It would certainly explain that strange air of familiarity she'd always felt around the Scarecrow. But it wasn't possible was it? The thought was so strange, but she couldn't shake the idea from her mind.

Before she could stop herself, the name slipped from her lips, "Fiyero?"

**OK, and there's the meeting, the second hardest chapter I had to write. The hardest hasn't come up yet, but you'll probably be able to tell which one it is. Anyway, I just want to answer a couple of reviews now.**

**WickedJelly: Actually I did give a reason for Dorothy being there in chapter 5:**

"**Glinda also began to wonder how wise it was to drag Dorothy along. Of course, she wouldn't have any chance of finding this place without Dorothy, for she needed the girl's direction." **

**As I showed in chapter 6, Dorothy was really the only one who could identify the area she'd first seen Elphaba, and help set Glinda on her trail. Without Dorothy Glinda wouldn't have had a chance. **

**Also, sorry 'bout those cliff hangers. Guess you won't be too happy about the end of this chapter either then. P**

**Well, that's all for now. Thank you so much to all of my readers who have been reading and reviewing, I really appreciate it. Please leave me a review this chapter, especially since it's such a crucial chapter in the story and I'd like some opinions.**

**Till next time S.P.**


	8. Changing Perspective

**OK guys, as predicted I really didn't have time to post this chapter yesterday. However, since I gave you two on Monday I'm still on schedule.**

**OK, so I have a feeling that people are going to either love or hate this chapter. I like the way it turned out, but I'm hoping to characters won't come across as too OoC. Well, nothing to do about that now. Just read and leave me a review telling me what you thought. **

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"Fiyero?" Glinda asked tentatively.

Three heads swiveled toward Glinda now. Elphaba and Fiyero looked at her with wide eyes and Dorothy with a look of complete confusion.

Fiyero looked at Glinda for a moment as if he were about to say something. However, he instead he chose to ignore Glinda for the time being in favor of giving Dorothy a response before she became hysterical.

Fiyero took a deep breath, trying to figure out how to word his explanation so Dorothy would buy it. He knew that if he couldn't convince her than no one could. He had to do this right.

"You see Dorothy," he began, choosing his next words carefully, "there never really was a Wicked Witch of the West"

Dorothy spared a quick glance to Elphaba as Fiyero spoke, but said nothing as he continued talking, "You have to understand, it was a bunch of propaganda on the part of the Wizard. She wouldn't follow him, so he alienated her. He started telling the Ozians and anyone else who would listen countless lies about her, and it was those lies that you were told when you arrived here in Oz,"

"If those lies were so untrue then why did you come with me to kill her? How is she alive in the first place? _I watched her melt!_" Dorothy shouted, reverting back into her previous rage.

Fiyero kept his expression calm as he continued, "Well Dorothy you see, the um "Witch" and I. We're umm…involved" He said, looking at the floor, not wanting to meet the gaze of Glinda or Dorothy, "At the time she'd thought I was dead, so I went with you to find her. Also, water doesn't really have any effect on her. We had the whole thing set up and snuck out of the castle when the witch hunters left. " he said. He'd left a lot of parts out of that explanation, but he didn't feel it was too important at the moment.

Dorothy's temper flared at this however, "What on earth are you talking about? She tried to set you on fire _twice_, she sent flying monkeys after us! She tried to kill us, and you're going to stand there and defend her? Does she have you under some sort of spell? What did you do to him," she asked Elphaba sharply, meeting her eyes for the first time.

Elphaba was too stunned by the sudden accusation to answer, so Fiyero spoke instead, "Dorothy I'm not under a spell"

"She locked me in a tower!" Dorothy shouted back, losing all restraint. She'd never shouted at anyone in life, with the exception perhaps of Elmira Gulch, her evil next door neighbor. Of course she'd also never felt this angry, betrayed and confused in her life either. At least not all at the same time. She waited for Fiyero to respond, but to everyone's surprise it was Elphaba who spoke.

"I'm sorry," she said to Dorothy, the words surprising even herself. She didn't apologize very often. She never said she was sorry because she usually did not feel that she was wrong. However, she did feel she owed the little farm girl an explanation. After all, she could have traumatized the poor kid. She did feel a little bit embarrassed by her actions to say the least. She'd completely lost her head and this girl had been her victim.

Dorothy looked at Elphaba now, the anger still in her eyes, but now mixed with curiosity. The Wicked Witch of the West had just apologized to her. This was certainly something Dorothy had never seen happening. There was something different about her voice as well. It was not the shrill, cruel cackle that Dorothy remembered, but rather something softer; something more human. Today was by far the strangest day she'd ever experienced. It was the second time in her life her entire world view was being changed against her will. She stared at Elphaba for a few moments.

Elphaba, uncomfortable with the strange looks she was receiving, continued, "No really, I am sorry. I know my behavior was little bit…irrational."

"Irrational? You tried to kill me Witch," Dorothy retorted, but her tone held more than a hint of fear. She knew what this woman was capable of. She'd seen her magic. She really didn't feel comfortable talking back to her, but something about the Witch's tone had made Dorothy bolder in speaking to her.

"I do have a name you know," said Elphaba, annoyance creeping into her voice, "It's Elphaba. My parent's didn't exactly name me 'Wicked Witch of the West', but I suppose you'd never bothered to think I could have a real name.

It was true, Dorothy had never once thought that the Witch, or Elphaba apparently, could have had another identity, or parents for that matter. She hadn't really thought of her as a person at all actually. It was strange to be finding out this sort of thing. It made the Wicked Witch seem more human, and it was bothering Dorothy. She didn't know how to respond to Elphaba's accusation, so she said nothing.

Fiyero, realizing that Elphaba was not going to say anything further, picked up the conversation, "The point is Dorothy that Elphaba is really a good person. She's a bit stubborn and sarcastic at times, but she's not the Wicked Witch that everyone makes her out to be."

"Don't flatter me too much," said Elphaba, rolling her eyes. Fiyero flashed her a grin.

"You trust me, don't you?" he asked, turning back to Dorothy. He hoped to Oz he's gotten through to her, otherwise they'd have a bit of a mess on their hands.

Dorothy was still a bit unsure. She was caught between what she'd always believed was true and what she was being told now. She looked around at the faces. Here were the two people in Oz she trusted most, and the one that she trusted the least. She supposed she had no choice but to take the word of her friends. After all, if she couldn't trust them then she really had no where to turn.

Slowly, Dorothy nodded. Fiyero smiled; glad they had dodged the bullet for the time being.

Glinda, seeing that the tense and awkward conversation was over, finally brought up the point she'd addressed earlier.

"You really are Fiyero aren't you?" she asked the Scarecrow again.

"How on earth did you figure that out?" asked Fiyero, exasperated. He realized that they'd been busted twice in one day.

"Well for one thing you just told me," said Glinda, her suspicions confirmed, "and secondly I just sort of put two and two together. Who else would Elphaba be hiding out with?"

Fiyero and Elphaba were both secretly impressed that Glinda had pieced the information together so efficiently, but they said nothing.

Glinda turned to Elphaba, "I can't believe you let me believe the two of you were dead for four years"

Glinda didn't sound angry, quite the contrary actually. She sounded hurt and disappointed. Elphaba almost wished she would have shouted. Surely the guilt she was feeling was worse than bearing the brunt of her friend's anger.

"I really did want to tell you Glinda," said Elphaba, "Believe me, I've missed you so much, but I couldn't. I couldn't exactly just pop by for a visit whenever I felt like it after all."

"You could have left me a note or a letter. Anything would have been better than going through that for four years. Every year they celebrated your death and every time I had to smile and wave and act happy while on the inside it was tearing me apart. You don't know how hard it was for me Elphie," said Glinda, her eyes beginning to glisten with unshed tears.

"I know Glinda, but you're here now, and that's really all that matters isn't it? I always knew we'd see each other again some day, and even though it seemed impossible at the time I kept that hope with me every day," said Elphaba, taking her friends small hand in her own green one, "You mean a lot to me Glinda. You're my best, my only, friend"

Glinda smiled softly at Ephaba's words, the tears still glistening in her eyes. She knew her friend was not one for sentimentality. Elphaba usually preferred to mask her feelings at all times, and the only two people who had ever truly seen past that mask were Glinda and Fiyero. The two women smiled at each other for a moment before Glinda hugged Elphaba again, and this time Elphaba returned the hug, having relaxed to her friend's presence.

Dorothy was forgotten at this point, sitting over in some far corner of the room by herself, but she watched the scene between the two friends with rapt attention. She'd never seen the Witch be anything other than cruel, and yet here she was, speaking softly and trying to comfort a sobbing Glinda the Good. Dorothy turned from the floor and looked down at her feet. She gasped inwardly as she realized they were still clad in the Ruby Slippers. She panicked a bit as she glanced cautiously over at the two witches. Had Elphaba noticed the footwear and simply not cared, or had she simply not seen them yet? If she hadn't, how would she react when she did? Would she fly into a rage again, attempt to take the shoes by force? Dorothy made a resolve that no matter what, she was not going to relinquish these shoes. Wicked or not, she still had no trust for the green woman sitting across the room from her.

After about an hour, Elphaba decided that she and Glinda should go out to the fruit trees and pick some more fruit so they'd have enough for all of them to eat later. Glinda, excited by the thought of spending more time with her long lost friend, jumped at the idea and the two women were out the door in less than fifteen minutes. That left just Dorothy and Fiyero sitting home alone, so Dorothy decided to confront him about some things that had been bothering her.

He was sitting in the living area, studying at the handmade map that was stretched out on the floor. Dorothy studied it curiously for a moment before turning to Fiyero, "What did Glinda mean by calling you Fiyero?" she asked, sitting down on the bench next to him. Fiyero, who had not noticed the girl's presence, looked up as she spoke. Fiyero supposed there was no harm in giving Dorothy more information now. After all, she'd already been entrusted with their biggest secret of all, albeit against her will.

"Well, you see, I wasn't always a Scarecrow," he started, noticing that Dorothy seemed surprised at this statement. This didn't shock Fiyero. After all, that was pretty much the story he'd told her in the first place, "Elphaba did it to save my life. I was tied up to a pole in a field by the Wizard's cronies, and they were going to kill me unless I told them where she was hiding. I was growing tired and afraid until I looked down and saw my new straw body. I almost immediately realized it was Elphaba's doing, and when the Gale Force men came back they had no idea where they'd gone. I was still stuck on that pole though. That is until you came and helped me down.

"How did you meet the Wi- Elphaba?" Dorothy asked, correcting herself from using the title she'd grown so accustomed to.

"We went to college together," said Fiyero, and this news also surprised the small farm girl. She hadn't exactly pictured the Wicked Witch sitting in a classroom like a normal person.

"You really love her?" asked Dorothy curiously. She wondered how it was possible that her friend the Scarecrow could have been in league with the Witch the whole time. Although now she was being led to the belief that Elphaba was not a Wicked Witch at all, it was still strange to think that the Scarecrow had been lying to the lot of them the entire time.

"Yes," Fiyero answered without hesitation, "I've never loved anyone more in my life. She's headstrong and stubborn and sarcastic, and I love everything about her." He smiled fondly as he said this, and Dorothy could tell his words were sincere.

Dorothy looked down at her hands when she'd finished questioning him. She wondered how someone who was spoken of so fondly by two of the most beloved people in Oz could have possibly gained such a notorious reputation for herself. However, she asked no further questions, and simply stared hard at absolutely nothing for a very long time.

**And that's the end of the chapter everyone's most likely been waiting for since the first chapter. So what do you think? Like it? Hate it? Please don't flame me for having Elphaba actually apologize to Dorothy. I know she's extremely stubborn and that might seem a bit unrealistic, but I think Elphaba would feel a bit ashamed of how carried away she got when it came to the ruby slippers.**

**OK, and now I shall answer a few reviews:**

**Curlycurlz: Hmmm…see I disagree. I see Elphaba as the more guarded and Glinda more childish. I don't think Elphaba responds too well to too much emotion, and it makes her feel a bit awkward in certain situations. On the other hand, I think Glinda is the one who tends to wear her feelings on her sleeves a bit more. At least among friends, as she has to stay guarded when she'd playing Ozian leader. Well those are just my opinions anyway.**

**WickedJelly: No problem. For a second I got really scared that I'd actually cut that part out or something. I nearly had a heart attack before I found the right paragraph. P**

**Well, that's all for now. Please leave me a review telling me what you thought of this chapter. Don't worry, the plot line will pick back up after a little bit of reunion sappiness. **

**Till next time S.P.**


	9. Unexpected

**OK guys, thanks once again for your many, very appreciated, reviews. I'm glad that the majority of you either liked or were OK with the contents of the last chapter and didn't find it completely OoC. This chapter is a bit more bonding, and next chapter the plot should begin moving again. I'll once again answer reviews at the end of the chapter. **

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Glinda and Elphaba left the small cottage and began to make their way back to the small grove of trees so they could pick some more fruit to feed Elphaba's unexpected guests. They walked in companionable silence for a bit as they passed through the gnarled trees in which the small cottage was hidden. Neither voiced their thoughts, but both reveled in each other's company and were relieved at Dorothy's reluctant acceptance of the situation. At least for now they could enjoy the relative peace of mind they were experiencing. They'd worry about the complications later.

They continued to walk on in silence until Elphaba decided to break it, "So Glinda, what have you been up to in the Emerald City?" she asked, trying to choose a suitable topic of conversation that would cause no further drama.

"Well it certainly wasn't easy at first," replied Glinda, glad for a chance at conversation, "Especially with you death and everything. (She gave Elphaba a pointed look) But after a while I got Munchkinland back on track. Since there were no remaining heirs that I knew of, I appointed the Tinman, or Boq, as the governor of Munchkinland and it's been running smoothly since we repealed most of your sister's laws."

The thought of Boq reminded Glinda of something she'd been meaning to ask Elphaba, "Oh Elphie, Boq says you're the one who turned him into tin and, since your pretty much the only person I know who could pull that off, I believe him. Except, he never gave me a reason why, and I'm pretty sure you wouldn't do something like that for no reason. I was just wondering what happened."

Elphaba looked guiltily at the ground for a few moments before she forced a reply, "I did it to save his life." She said nothing more, and she didn't seem to keen on discussing the matter further. Glinda left the topic alone and steered the conversation in a different direction.

"Oh and Elphie, don't think I forgot about what you said to me. I've been trying to do as much good in your place as possible. I'm currently in the process of trying to return full rights to the Aniamls. For the past few years they've been living in a small town I had built for them on the edges of Munchkinland. I've been studying the Grimmerie every night too, even though I've made very little progress with it," said Glinda.

Elphaba beamed at her friend as she listened to the good Glinda had been doing for Oz. Her friend had matured so much from their college days at Shiz, and Elphaba was proud of Glinda for everything she'd accomplished.

"It's great to hear that Glinda," she said, still smiling, "I'm really quite proud of you"

Glinda, who had thought of Elphaba as a sort of older sister figure and a role model, smiled widely at Elphaba's words. She had used to be so preoccupied with trying to please everyone, but pleasing Elphaba mattered more to her than anything else for some reason.

"How about you?" asked Glinda, "What have you and Fiyero been up to?"

Elphaba smirked a little, "This. There's really not much to do when you live in the forest other than walk around outside or stay home. It's not like we have a vast variety of options."

The two stopped walking as they reached the grove of fruit trees. Glinda looked up curiously as Elphaba reached toward one of the branches.

"How do so many different types of fruits grow out here?" she asked, turning to Elphaba. Elphaba only raised an eyebrow until a look of understanding passed Glinda's face.

"You can do magic without the Grimmerie now?" she asked, surprised.

"Well sometimes, if I really need to, but this one happens to have been a spell I memorized before I handed the book off to you. After all, you never know when this sort of thing will come in handy," Elphaba responded.

Glinda nodded her assent before reaching up to pick a peach off of the closest tree.

They returned to the cabin about twenty minutes later, arms laden down with as much fruit as they could carry so they wouldn't have to go back out in the morning. They dropped their burdens on the table, still lost in conversation, and then wandered into the living room. There they found Dorothy and Fiyero sitting on the bench, each looking lost in his or her own thoughts. Neither of them looked up as the two women entered.

"I suppose it would be pointless to ask if everyone behaved themselves while we were gone," said Elphaba, trying to lighten the mood a bit. She still didn't feel comfortable having Dorothy around, but she'd have to disregard that for the time being.

Fiyero looked up and smiled as Elphaba spoke, but Dorothy made no acknowledgement to the new presences in the room. Fiyero stood and strode over to Elphaba to give her a quick kiss. Glinda looked away, feeling as if she was intruding.

Elphaba smiled as she and Fiyero pulled out of the kiss, and motioned for everyone to follow her into the kitchen. Dorothy moved only when Glinda took her hand and pulled her out of the chair, and the four sat around the makeshift table, Dorothy still looking wary. After they had all eaten their fill of fruit, they sent Dorothy off to sleep in the small bedroom. They let Dorothy have the bed, which had a makeshift mattress that was stuffed with leaves. Dorothy looked unsure about leaving the room at first, but after reassurances from Fiyero she finally went off, leaving the three adults alone in the kitchen to talk.

"Glinda, how did you manage to find us here? And why in Oz's name did you bring Dorothy with you?" asked Fiyero. It was something he'd been wondering all day, and now that Dorothy was out of the picture he could finally ask.

Glinda proceeded to explain how Dorothy had returned to Oz wearing the ruby slippers and had seen Elphaba near the grove of fruit trees. She briefly explained the resulting quest to find Elphaba, ending when she and Dorothy had come to the cottage in the woods. Both Elphaba and Fiyero were secretly surprised with Glinda's intuitiveness, but they kept their surprise to themselves for fear of hurting her feelings.

"Oh and Elphie, please don't go making a big deal about those shoes again," pleaded Glinda. The last thing she wanted was for another fight to break out between Dorothy and Elphaba, especially since Dorothy was still not too keen on accepting their claims about Elphaba.

"Oh she can keep the stupid shoes for all I care," said Elphaba, crossing her arms indignantly. It wasn't that she didn't want the shoes anymore; she simply didn't see the point of causing a commotion over a pair of slippers. After all, she'd lived without them so far, she didn't really need them.

Glinda smiled slightly at Elphaba's stubborn response, "It really is nice to see you two again, even though I am still annoyed about this whole faking your death stunt."

"The question is, where do we go from here?" said Elphaba, turning to her friend, "After all, you can't exactly stay here, Oz will go looking for their leader. I don't think we can exactly pop by the Emerald City for a visit every now and then. And people might get suspicious if you make frequent trips over here. I don't see how we can keep up any form of continued interaction."

Glinda's face fell, for she hadn't thought of any of this. She'd been so excited at seeing Elphaba and Fiyero alive and well again she hadn't really been thinking long term. "I'm sure we can figure something out," said Glinda, "Now that I know you're alive, I can't just not see you guys anymore. It'd be like losing you all over again!"

"I know Glinda, it's not what I want either, but I really don't see how we could possibly make this situation work," said Elphaba. As much as she wished Glinda could just stay with them, she knew it was completely impossible. Living alone in a small cabin might work for Elphaba and Fiyero, but Glinda wouldn't survive a week in these conditions. Not only that, but Glinda had duties as the ruler of Oz to attend to, and she couldn't just give those up. Elphaba knew she had to think of all involved while dealing with this situation.

"There has to be something we can do Elphie. There's always a way, you're the one who showed me that," Glinda said, almost pleading with Elphaba. She would not lose her friends again, not as long as there was something she could do about it.

It was Fiyero who broke up their conversation, "Look, I'm sure we'll figure something out in the morning. For now we really should go to sleep"

Reluctantly, the two women agreed and rose from the table. It was decided that Glinda would sleep on the wooden bench in the living room, and although it was far from the luxury she was used to, Glinda decided she could live with it for one night. Elphaba and Fiyero would sleep on the floor. Fiyero said his straw body meant he was comfortable anywhere and Elphaba, smirking slightly, had said that Fiyero's straw body meant the same for her. And so, as the wind howled outside the windows (which Elphaba had also magicked to keep out the cold and the elements), the three friends slept soundly, exhausted by the day's events.

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When Glinda awoke the next morning the first thing she wondered was why her spine was so stiff. Then she opened her eyes and the events of the previous day came flooding back to her. Sitting up on the hard wooden bench, she smiled slightly as she watched her two friends, who were still sound asleep, snuggled up next to each other on the floor.

Dorothy, who woke up about fifteen minutes later, was also confused when she first woke up in the unfamiliar surroundings. When her memories returned, however; she was not at all as pleasantly calm as Glinda. She had come back to Oz with high hopes that things could be the way they'd been before, but so far nothing was as it seemed and the people she thought she knew were all harboring some sort of secret. She sighed and sat up on the lumpy and somewhat uncomfortable mattress, unsure whether she should leave the room or wait until she was summoned out. She decided on the former and climbed out of bed.

She walked out into the living room, where she found herself walking in at an awkward time. In the corner were the Scarecrow and the Witch, the latter clinging onto the Scarecrow as if he were a giant stuffed animal she didn't quite like to sleep without. Glinda was lying on her back on the wooden bench, staring at the ceiling as she waited for her friends to wake up. Dorothy found the whole scene to be the last thing she'd expected to see when she'd stepped out of the bedroom. However, the strange calm was shattered as Glinda sat up after sensing another presence in the room. She smiled slightly at Dorothy, as if unsure whether the girl was still angry with her, before moving to wake Elphaba and Fiyero.

Five minutes later found the four of them seated at the kitchen table, their movements a bit sluggish, as they were still groggy with sleep. Elphaba, Glinda and Dorothy all had their share of fruit, while Fiyero only watched. The three friends chatted throughout their meal, while Dorothy sat a little ways off, as estranged as she'd been since she'd arrived at their home. However, there was not as much nervous tension between all of them now, and all in question were grateful for small favors.

Suddenly however, there came several loud knocks at the cabin door, and all seated at the table exchanged worried looks. With Glinda here already, there was no one else in Oz they could think of who would come to their home without ill intentions. For a few moments no one moved, hoping that maybe whoever it was would give up and leave, taking the home for abandoned. However this was not the case and after a few moments of horrible suspense, the door flew off of its hinges as it was struck by a sudden force.

Boq stumbled into the cottage as the door was thrown away. The four of them gaped with open mouths. However, their shock was nothing compared to Boq's own as he looked up to find Dorothy, the Scarecrow and Glinda the Good, all sitting down to breakfast with the Wicked Witch of the West.

**Yes, I know I'm evil, but I simply cannot resist the cliff hangers. Resent me if you must, but they're simply too much fun to give up. P Besides, cliff hangers tend to keep people excited for coming chapters. **

**Now I'll just answer a couple of reviews.**

**WickedJelly: Glad you thought so, I was worried that it would produce a bad reaction. Oh, and I won't hold a grudge over the whole near death experience thing P**

**GldnWlf: I see your point, but I'm kind of banking on the fact that Dorothy considers the Scarecrow her best friend from Oz, and hopefully an at least moderate amount of trust comes with that position.**

**CurlyCurlz: Are you kidding? I love a good debate. This is probably because I'm incredibly stubborn, but whatever. Anyways, I see your point about Glinda masking her feelings to the general public, but it seems to me she would feel a bit more open with Elphaba. After all, she considers Elphaba her closest friend, and I can assume that if she was going to open up to anyone it would be her. Besides this, it seems to me like she regards Elphaba as a sort of older sister figure or something, and therefore I think the image of her seeming a bit more childish in comparison works in my mind. As for Elphaba, I agree with the fact that she masks her feelings in sarcasm, which is why I believe her reaction would feel a bit more awkward. It seems to me that she's become so accustomed to disregarding her own emotions that she really isn't sure about how to express them in these sorts of situations. Feel free to retaliate with your own opinions. )**

**Well that's all for now guys, please leave me a review if you have the time. As you can see, the amount of reviews I've been receiving are leading to daily updates. Thanks so much for following my fic and reviewing!**

**Till next time S.P.**


	10. A Problem

**OK guys, thanks once again for the kind reviews I received. I realize I start evey single author's note the exact same way, but whatever. Anyways, now that the plot is moving again I kind of hope it doesn't seem too rushed. I may possibly do some major editing to a few chapters after this, so that means I might not update for a couple days after the next chapter. I'm not sure, just letting you know in advance that if this happens it doesn't mean I've abandoned this story.**

**So anyway, I'm glad everyone found my last cliff hanger amusing and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. As usual, I will answer comments form reviewers at the end.**

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Boq froze in the doorway, his mind unable to fully comprehend the sight in front of him. Glinda the Good, and acclaimed witch hunters Dorothy and the Scarecrow, were sitting at a rickety wooden table with the Wicked Witch of the West. Had all of Oz gone mad? He felt rage begin to bubble in the pit of his stomach as he laid eyes on the green woman, the reason he'd become a walking trash can. However, he tore his eyes from Elphaba as Glinda jumped from her seat.

"Boq," she squealed, a bit shaken by the tin man's sudden entry, "What are you doing here?"

"Funny, I could ask you the same question Miss Glinda," he said before turning back to Elphaba, "You're in cahoots with her aren't you? I'll bet it was your job to distract Miss Glinda so she could move in, was it not?"

"Boq what are you talking about?" asked Glinda, growing worried.

"Madame Morrible! That horrible woman attacked the city not three clock ticks after you left. That's why I had to come find you Miss Glinda, to get you to come back. Never in a million years did I expect to find this!" he said, almost so quickly that no one understood him. The strange mix of anger and fear he felt toward the Wicked Witch was causing his nerves to become frazzled.

"Madame Morrible?" Glinda and Elphaba repeated, almost in unison, alarm present in their tone. Both knew what the woman was capable of and didn't want to see her loose in the Emerald City.

"Yes, and I'll bet the Witch is in league with her. I don't know why Dorothy and the Scarecrow are here either, but all three of you need to get out of here. I'll hold off the Witch for as long as I can!" he said, trying to seem fearless. In truth he really would rather have run, but he wasn't gong to let this Witch harm his friends; especially not Miss Glinda. After all, it would be a lot harder for the Witch to do damage to his tin body than to anyone else's.

"Boq," Glinda started slowly, clearly seeing how distressed her friend was, "Elphaba isn't holding us here against our will."

Boq seemed shocked by this sudden revelation, and even more so by Glinda's use of Elphaba's proper name, "Glinda are you feeling alright? What has she told you? Is she threatening you? You don't have to worry, I won't let her hurt you!" He sent his best piecing glare to Elphaba as he spoke.

As Glinda tried to reason with Boq, the other three in the room sat watching, dumbfounded. They had certainly not been expecting the appearance of any more uninvited guests. Fiyero especially was on the edge of his seat, both angered by the way Boq was speaking about Elphaba and worried that he'd do something rash and harm her. After all, Fiyero wasn't sure how many spells Elphaba knew were effective on tin.

Glinda, though not unappreciative that Boq was so protective of her, wished she could find some way to make him see reason. However, she could think of no way to do so.

"Boq, what's going on in the Emerald City?" she asked instead. She was hoping to draw Boq's attention away from the topic at hand for at least a few moments, but she was also worried for the people who had entrusted their safety to her. She'd only been gone for one day; how could something like this have happened so quickly?

Boq seemed reluctant to leave the topic at hand alone, but he answered Glinda's question nonetheless, "It's Morrible. She moved in not three clock ticks after you left. I don't know how she did it so quickly, but it seems as though she's had followers on the inside for quite some time. It looks as if she's been lying in wait for you to leave the city. She broke into the palace and came after me with a guard. He tried to capture me but I managed to shake him off and get out of the room. Then I got out of the palace and went after you. I remembered you saying something about heading to that Animal town on the edge of Munchkinland. I found it and the Animals told me which direction you'd headed. I had to find you; you're the only one who could possibly stop Morrible."

Glinda looked shaken at the news. She'd never really put much thought into Morrible's escape from jail so long ago. After the woman hadn't shown up seeking revenge Glinda had not worried much about it. She'd never thought that Morrible could be slowly gaining influence for a larger scale attack. However, if that was the case, why had Morrible been so intent on waiting until Glinda left the city? Morrible certainly knew her powers far exceeded Glinda's especially as she couldn't possible know that Glinda had been studying the Grimmerie non stop for so long. Not that it had done her a whole lot of good, but it had improved her somewhat.

Turning, she announced to every one in the room, "I have to go back." She didn't know what she hoped to accomplish against Morrible, but she had to at least try. She would not be going down without a fight.

Elphaba, not even sparing a moment's thought, stood up, "I'm coming with you"

Glinda, who had expected this from her friend, shook her head. As much as she would appreciate Elphaba's help, she could not allow her friend to put herself in such danger, "No way Elphie, you'd be killed before you even made it into the city, you know that"

"And you know that there's no possible way you can defeat Morrible on you own. I want to help you. There's no way I'm go to sit idly by and watch you put yourself in danger," she argued defiantly.

"Fae listen to Glinda, you'll be even less of a help if you're dead," said Fiyero, trying, without much hope, to calm her down. He knew that look in her eye well, and once she got it there was nothing anyone could do to stop her.

"Then I won't be seen, but I'm coming whether you like it or not," she said, whipping around to grab her cloak and broom from their resting place in the corner of the kitchen.

However, Boq spoke, "Oh no, there's no way you're coming with us. I don't know what was going on here when I arrived, but if you're involved I know it's nothing good! We can't even be sure you're not the mastermind behind this whole attack, and if you think I'm going to sit by and give you a clear opening into the city, then you've got another thing coming"

Elphaba most certainly did not want to deal with this right now, "Look Boq," she said impatiently, (He seemed momentarily surprised that she remembered his name) "Just shut up about this for now and…and I'll find some way to change you back to normal when this whole ordeal is over." In truth she'd been thinking about trying to find a spell like that for Fiyero. After all, now that Glinda knew where they were maybe she could ask to see the Grimmerie just long enough to discover such a spell. However, she was not completely positive she'd be able to do this, so in a way she was bluffing. She simply knew this was the one thing that could possibly get Boq off of her case for the time being. She'd worry about the repercussions after they'd sorted this mess out.

Boq froze as Elphaba spoke. That was the one thing he wanted more than anything else in the world, but he could not bring himself to trust the word of the Wicked Witch of the West, "How do I know I can trust your word?" he asked suspiciously.

"You don't really have a choice," Elphaba said curtly, not turning to look at him.

Boq stood there only for a moment before he realized she was right. After all, he was not sure he'd be able to stop her from going by himself anyway and it was obvious that the others in the room were not going to help, for reasons unbeknownst to him. He didn't know if she'd stick to her word, but he really didn't know if it was worth fighting her. And after all, what if she really was telling the truth? He sighed in defeat, and nodded to Elphaba, who was not paying enough attention to notice it.

Cloak fastened, she whipped around toward Glinda. At this point the blond girl decided not to bother with another argument, as she was obviously not going to win it anyway.

"Well if you're going Fae than you'd better believe that I'm not staying behind," said Fiyero, also standing from his seat and joining Elphaba. She looked disapprovingly at him for a moment before she conceded and let him be. Fiyero was completely over protective at times, and almost as stubborn as she was. If she didn't let him come with them he'd just follow behind, and at least this way she could keep an eye on him.

Dorothy and her little dog Toto were now the only ones still seated. Dorothy was beginning to panic. She had no clue who this Morrible person was or what was going on, but she knew that the Emerald City was in trouble. She didn't know what she could possibly do to help, but she was not going to sit in this little wooden cottage by herself. Unsurely, she mumbled, "I guess I'm coming too then." Toto remained silent, watching the happenings in the small room warily.

The four adults, who had completely forgotten about Dorothy, looked surprised, but none protested. They could not leave the girl alone in the woods after all. If, Oz forbid, they did not come back, she'd be left here by herself. She stood and joined them at the front of the room before Elphaba addressed them all.

"Fiyero and I will take my broom. Glinda, can manage three bubbles?" she asked.

Glinda looked a bit nervous, "I'm not sure, the most I've ever managed is two."

"Do you think you can do it?" she asked.

"Well, I can try," she said, trying to sound self-assured.

"It's settled then. We leave by nightfall," she said.

**And there we have it. At first I'd had them leaving immediately, but then I realized I had a problem in the fact that Boq arrived in the morning, and therefore they'd have to wait until night fall to head into the city. Well anyways, I don't think that was as bad as my cliffhangers usually are. **

**I'll just quickly answer a couple of reviewer comments then:**

**Western Arawen: Yeah, I'm sorry if it seemed as if there were more errors. I was only home for a half an hour yesterday, so I didn't have time to proofread as thoroughly as I usually do. Hopefully you won't find as many errors in this chapter.**

**SapphireNight: Glad you like the way the story is turning out so far. I'll have to check yours out when I get a chance. **

**Well, that's all for now S.P.**


	11. Betrayal

**OK guys, new chapter time. I didn't get as good a response as usual for the last chapter, but I did get at least 4 reviews, and therefore I'm still going to post this early. Thank you to everyone who did review though, I always appreciate hearing from you.**

**Alright, this chapter should set the ball rolling once again now that the plot will be picking back up. So here we go, chapter 11:**

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Night couldn't fall quickly enough. No one in the small cottage felt comfortable and they were all more than anxious to leave. However, they all knew it would be far easier to stay out of sight in the darkness than it would in broad daylight, and so they had to stick it out. They sat in silence, Elphaba and Fiyero in one room, Dorothy in Boq in another and Glinda walking back and forth between the two. Dorothy was beginning to feel a bit calmer in Elphaba's presence, but she still preferred to stay in the company of her friend the Tinman for the time being. Boq on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with Elphaba and was acting as though she was not even there. The minutes felt like hours, but finally a blanket of darkness fell over the outside world and it was safe for them to begin their journey.

Elphaba motioned for the group to follow and stepped outside. Elphaba mounted the broom, Fiyero climbing on behind her unsurely. She had not flown since they'd escaped the city and Fiyero had never been on the rickety old broom in his life. He wrapped his arms around Elphaba's waist and clung to her for dear life, which made Elphaba smirk in amusement despite the seriousness of the situation.

Glinda likewise, put as much of her magic as she could into summoning three bubbles, which quickly encased Dorothy, Boq and herself. Boq looked a bit startled by this, and Dorothy cringed a bit as she realized this was how they'd be traveling once again. Glinda managed to get the bubbles airborne, but she could already feel the strain of carrying three people taking a toll on her. Suddenly, however; some of the strain disappeared with the sensation that a large weight was being lifted from her. Surprised, Glinda looked over at Elphaba, who was smiling slightly. She allowed her own face to break into a small smile as well as she realized her friend was helping her with the spell.

"Alright," she said, a new found determination in her voice, "Let's go save the Emerald City." And with that they were off.

The five of them flew through the air in silence until they were nearly in view of Roselburg, and then descended. They were an odd sight, three in giant pink bubbles and two riding on a broomstick, but all of them were too focused on their purpose to take into account the humor in their situation. They descended into a small group of trees, careful to keep out of sight, and stepped off of or out of their flying vessels for the time being.

Elphaba was the fist to speak, "We need to proceed with caution from this point. Glinda, do you know anyway we can get into the city without being noticed?"

"Well," said Glinda, thinking carefully for a moment, "We won't be able to fly from here obviously, but if you keep your skin covered and if we cut through Munchkinland we should be able to make it to the city before sun up without being noticed."

Boq cut in, saying, "Miss Glinda, we've got to proceed with more caution than usual. Morrible has guards position at all of the major roads in the city. We're going to have to take more of the back roads."

Glinda nodded, "Ok Boq, you know Munchkinland's back streets better than I would, why don't you lead?"

So Elphaba draped her cloak over her head to hide her skin color and the five of them set off at a quick pace, following Boq into Roselburg. The streets that had been so full of life in the day time were now fully deserted, and the only sound was that of their feet clicking on the cobblestone paths. No one spoke, but they all felt that there was something ethereal in the small, empty town. It did not take them long to journey through the small town, making sure to stay pressed against the walls of the building. Strangely every window seemed darkened, and there was very little light to walk by on the dark streets. They reached the dirt path that diverged into the Yellow Brick Road and continued on their way.

However, they soon found out that Boq had been right about the Gale Force guards keeping watch on the major roads. A little ways down the yellow path stood a tall, bulky man, obviously stationed there to keep people from passing. However, he had his back to them, facing the opposite direction. Elphaba assumed he was stationed there more to keep people from leaving the city than going into it. Boq held out a hand for them to stop walking and kept moving forward. Before the guard had a chance to turn around, Boq clubbed him over the head with one of his tin arms, causing the man to slump to the ground. Boq looked the man over to make sure he was unconscious before motioning for the others to follow.

They continued silently on the path once more, which diverged into main Munchkinland about twenty minutes later. There was another guard stationed at this part of the road, once again with his backs to them. Instead of another attack, Boq motioned for them to follow and they detoured onto a side street instead.

It seemed Boq was the only one who knew where he was going. Though Glinda had been to Munchkinland many times and Elphaba had grown up there, neither recognized the area they were currently passing through. Dorothy had memory of a few of the sights from when she'd passed through not long ago, and Fiyero was pretty much clueless. In short, they were all hoping Boq knew where he was going.

The night air had turned chilly some time ago and there was now a light breeze blowing through. This rustled the leaves and gave the whole place an even eerier feel. Boq and Fiyero did not feel the cold, and Elphaba had long since learned to ignore it, but Glinda and Dorothy were starting to shiver as they walked. Neither were used to traipsing around in the cold in the dead of night, and neither were really dressed properly either. Dorothy snuggled Toto closer for warmth and Glinda crossed her arms, trying to seem as if the cold wasn't bothering her. Under normal circumstances she probably would have whimpered about her discomfort, but these were not normal circumstances.

Boq looked around as he walked, finding it strange that Munchkinland almost looked deserted. The streets were never exactly bustling at night, but they were not usually completely empty either. It only served to further the feeling that something was wrong. However, not wanting to worry Glinda any further, he said nothing on the matter as he continued to lead the small group.

After a time, when Boq was pretty sure the coast was clear, they crossed back over onto the Yellow Brick Road. The Emerald City now loomed out in front of them in all of its glory, and the five of them strengthened their resolves as they came upon it.

There were two guards stationed at the gates to the city, but Glinda, taking the lead, lead them around another way so they could enter undetected. Since she knew the Emerald City better than Boq, he fell back and she took charge, feeling rather nervous. She was used to being more of a follower than a leader.

Now, as they walked the streets of the Emerald City, everyone came to the realization that something was most definetly wrong. In Roselburg and Munchkinland it was unusual but not completely strange for the streets to be empty very late at night. However, in the Emerald City it was practically unheard of. At all hours of the night there was something going on. Clubs open, shows going on, and many tourists rushing about trying to get the full experience of the night life. However tonight the streets were quiet and the only light came from the street lamps that glowed on each corner.

"Be careful now," said Glinda, startling even herself as her words cut through the strange late night silence, "We're nearing the palace now"

Sure enough, when the other four looked up they were met with the grand sight of the Emerald City Palace. It was usually a spectacular sight, but tonight it loomed over them, as cold and ghostly as the biting wind they were struggling against.

Glinda, who knew all of the palaces entryways by heart, lead them down into the entrance in the dungeon. The small group still didn't have a definite plan, but Glinda supposed if they could round up some of the guards and catch Morrible by surprise they might have a fighting chance. Elphaba was to keep her face and hands hidden at all times to avoid arousing suspicion.

They slowly and steadily made their way down the chipped stone steps that lead down into the dungeon. Glinda sighed in relief as they entered the small dreary area. Although it was not much warmer down here than it was outside, it was at least relief from the wind. Not only was it freezing, but it had also done a number on Glinda's perfectly curled hair.

The five of them stopped as Glinda held up her hand, nearly bumping into one another. Glinda peered around the corner and saw two of the guards standing watch in front of the cells, the same place they were always positioned.

Collecting herself, Glinda tried to play it cool as she walked up to the two men.

"Guards I have returned from my trip," she said, trying to keep her authoritative tone from wavering as she spoke. She was about to continue, when an armored hand clamped down over her mouth. She tried to scream but her voice was muffled. Raising her eyes, she realized that the guard that had captured her was not one of the men who was usually on dungeon duty at this hour.

"Morrible said you'd come back eventually," he said, hostility in his voice.

Glinda, realizing that the guards who had been stationed here were traitorous, at once began to squirm and kick, trying to no avail to escape the guard's grasp. Elphaba was about to race forward to help her friend, when Glinda's eyes found hers. 'Stay where you are,' she was practically screaming with her eyes. Elphaba froze. She wanted to help Glinda, but she stayed in place as her friend struggled. It was true that taking out the guards, though it would have been an easy task for Elphaba, would mean giving away her identity and alerting everyone to her presence. She needed to stay hidden for as long as possible.

However, although Elphaba stayed put, that couldn't be said for everyone, and what happened next was a sort of chain reaction. Alarmed by the sight of Glinda's capture, Toto had leapt from Dorothy's arms, yapping loudly, and run straight at the guards, snapping at their heels. Dorothy, who could not bear to see her little dog hurt, had gone after him. Fiyero, fearing the guards would hurt the girl, went next. Boq nearly followed, but Elphaba grabbed his wrist, much to his annoyance, and yanked him back into the shadows before he was seen.

Unfortunately for the others, a small dog, a young girl and a scarecrow were no match for the trained Gale Force troops, and they were all captured easily. The guards opened a cell and tossed all of the new prisoners inside, laughing at their feeble attempts at a struggle.

When the bars were locked once more, the first guard turned to his companion and said, "Tell Morrible that Glinda the Good is contained." The second guard nodded and left the room as the second moved back into position to guard the cell.

Boq, who had watched the whole scene from the shadows, now turned to Elphaba and whispered angrily, "Why did you hold me back Witch? You don't want them to be saved is that it? I knew I was right about you from the start!"

"Of course I want to rescue them you idiot," she shot back venomously, "But if we alert the entire castle to our presence we're going to find ourselves taking on the entire Gale Force, and if we're all captured then we're not exactly going to be a lot of help in stopping Morrible. Now shut up and stay close."

With that Elphaba whipped around, and before the guard could process what he was seeing she cracked him over the head with her broom so had that the handle cracked. He slumped to the floor unconscious. Elphaba checked him for the keys to the cell, but cursed quietly as she realized he didn't have them. Boq watched her with wide eyes.

"Funny, I never took you as one for physical violence," came Fiyero's voice, only half serious.

Elphaba scowled at him, "How on earth can you make wise cracks at a time like this?"

Fiyero shrugged, still smirking, "Talent"

Elphaba sighed in frustration and turned to the rest of the prisoners. In the cell sat Glinda, Fiyero, Dorothy (now clutching a whimpering Toto protectively once more) and three other Gale Force members who Elphaba assumed had stayed loyal to Glinda. Since her face was still hidden by the cloak, the three soldiers only stared at her curiously.

"Glinda, that other guard took the keys with him and I can't get the door open. If I can get to your room and find the Grimmerie I can get a spell to open the lock and then we can find something to deal with Morrible," she said, turning to Glinda.

The guards, confused by the talk of spells, also addressed Glinda, "Lady Glinda, what's going on?"

"Not now Curnings," said Glinda quickly, slightly surprised she remembered his last name, "My room is on the second floor, first door to the right. Go into my closet and it's in the back left corner in a shoebox behind a pink ball gown"

Elphaba usually would have made a wise crack about Glinda remembering the exact contents of her closet, but she realized this was not the time or the place. She nodded to Glinda and motioned for Boq to follow as she made her way quickly across the dungeon to the door on the other side. Boq seemed unsure about whether or not he wanted to follow, but Glinda shooed him off and he eventually consented. He strode over to Elphaba, trying to squeak as little as possible as he did so and, after quickly checking for more guards, the two disappeared from sight through the small door.

**OK another chapter down. I'm not sure whether you would consider this a cliff hanger or not. I guess it's open to interpretation. Anyways, time for me to answer comments:**

**WickedJelly: I'm not entirely positive. I was under the impression that you can put the action in if it's in parentheses. As I said though, I'm not entirely sure. **

**Well that's all for now. Thanks for reading and please leave me a review if you have time. Pwetty Pwease –puppy dog eyes-. Heh, sorry. **

**Anyways, that's all for now. Till next time S.P.**


	12. Horrible Morrible

**Alrighty then, here's the next chapter. I'm happy to see that I got a slightly better response last chapter, so thanks very much to everyone who reviewed. I really don't have much more to say this chapter, so I'll shut up now. **

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Glinda, Fiyero and Dorothy watched as Elphaba and Boq disappeared from the dungeons. Dorothy, after being around Elphaba for even such a short time, found herself unintentionally beginning to trust her. After all, Elphaba had not done anything unkind to her since she'd been in Oz this time around and Fiyero and Glinda had nothing but kind things to say about the green woman. Boq she of course already trusted, but she hoped he'd at least try to work together with Elphaba to get them out of this dungeon. She knew she'd been rash, running after Toto like that, but she'd rather be captured than have the friend she'd been through so much with be killed.

She sat back against the cold stone walls, petting Toto absentmindedly. She certainly hadn't known what she was getting into when she'd made that wish to come back to Oz. Everything was so different now, and the Wicked Witch was no longer the villain. She just wondered how long it would take until things finally settled down. She was confident that they'd get out of here alive. After all, since she'd finally returned to Oz her optimism had been returning to her a little bit at a time. She didn't know what she planned to do once things calmed down, but she knew it would be more than she could have done with her life back in Kansas.

Glinda and Fiyero were also confident in Elphaba's ability to get them out, but that didn't stop them from worrying about her. If someone in the castle saw her skin color, there'd be an Oz wide panic. After all, she was perceived dead by most of the world. They didn't think it would be taken so lightly if she suddenly appeared in the Emerald City around the same time that Madame Morrible was planning a hostile takeover. That could damage her reputation further, if that was even possible.

After sitting in silence for a few moments, the same guard from before got up the courage to question Glinda again, "Lady Glinda, what on earth is going on? The other day this woman stormed that palace. Most of the guards seemed to know her. They joined her readily. The three of us fought them and were thrown down here."

Glinda looked at the men still sitting in the cell and sighed. She realized that they were three of the newest Gale Force recruits, and so they did not know Morrible and had no old loyalties to her. She realized that they were probably the only three who had stuck with her, and the thought saddened her. She'd thought she would have gained their trust in the long time she'd been ruler, but apparently she hadn't known where their true loyalties lay.

She began to explain, "Her name is Madame Morrible, and she used to be press secretary to the wizard of Oz before he departed four years ago. I had her arrested for…certain crimes, but she escaped not even a month later. I hadn't realized she had such a following. It was my mistake…." She shook her head as she finished, disappointed with herself for not seeing the obvious.

"And, if you don't mind me asking, who was that just now? I recognized the Tinman, but not the female," he asked curiously.

"It was someone who wants to help," said Glinda. She didn't say anything more about it, nor did Curnings feel inclined to ask, so the group sat in silence for a few minutes.

Then, with a loud bang, the door to the dungeons swung open once more and Morrible swept in, flanked by two guards. She strode purposefully toward their cell and stopped in front, looking rather pleased with herself.

"Ah, Miss Glinda the Good," she said, in a sugary voice that was so obviously fake, "How good of you and your friends to join us"

Glinda glared up at Morrible, taking in her appearance for the first time since she'd imprisoned her so many years ago. She looked horrible. Her face was lined with wrinkles and her eyes looked dead and sunken. She had the appearance of one who'd lost a lot of weight very quickly. Her robes were draped loosely off of her and the skin on her face sagged, giving it the appearance of wax that had been left in the sun. Her face was also coated in a mask of makeup, which served to make her look more like a clown than add to her features. Her hair was deadened and hung about her face in wispy strands. She looked nothing like the pompous woman Glinda remembered from her days at Shiz.

"What do you want Morrible?" she asked venomously.

"Ah, I thought it should be obvious my dear. Revenge," she started, still using the same sickeningly sweet tone, "You see, I don't take well to being imprisoned by my own students. Not that mere bars could hold me anyway, but I digress. I simply cannot believe that this city would toss aside such a fabulous leader as the Wizard for a pathetic little cream puff who can't even count to twenty with her shoes on, let alone run a country. So I waited until you'd left and moved in. It was easy to subdue the Ozians once I told them I'd captured you. It wasn't all to far from the truth anyway. I knew you'd be back, and then I'd make good on my promise."

"You're insane," spat Glinda, still glaring up at the woman before her.

Finally Morrible lost her fake tone of voice as she began to shout at Glinda, "And you would be nothing without me you silly little girl! Do you think for a moment you'd have this title or status if it hadn't been for my influence? I made you what you are, and what thanks do I get? Thrown in prison! Well, now you're all going to pay. You and your precious city."

Morrible turned to leave, but stopped as she noticed the unconscious guard lying at the foot of the cell for the first time. She turned back to Glinda, "Who did this?" she asked, eyes narrowed. However, Glinda said nothing, and simply stared silently back at Morrible.

However, as Morrible's eyes swept the contents of the cell, she seemed to come to her own conclusion. "Ah, it was young Master Boq wasn't it? I knew he'd be back as well when he slipped from my grasp the first time," she turned to the men behind her, "Guards, we have a traitor in the building. Find the Tinman and bring him to me."

The guards nodded and left, leaving Morrible smiling smugly as she left by herself. Glinda and Fiyero smiled inwardly however, for Morrible had seriously underestimated her opponents.

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Elphaba and Boq slipped out of the dungeon and began to walk slowly across the hall that led away from the dungeons.

"Do you know which way the stairs are?" Elphaba asked quickly, pressing herself up against the wall.

Boq, resigning himself to the fact that he'd have to work with Elphaba for now, answered, "Yes, follow me."

The two crept along, keeping close to the walls. Surprisingly, they did not see as many guards as they had on the outside of the palace, and the two assumed that Morrible was not as worried about people getting inside. They were almost spotted as they rounded a corner, but Elphaba had stopped short in the nick of time. Boq had crashed into her, but they'd remained unseen, and had hurried passed when the guard had turned his back. Boq lead Elphaba to the nearest stair case, and the two began to climb, meeting no more guards on their way up.

They reached the second floor and paused once more at the top of the steps. None of the lights were on on this floor and it made it very difficult to see. From where they were standing the end of the hall seemed to be swallowed by a seemingly endless blankness. Elphaba walked forward and Boq followed, not far behind.

"She said it was the first door on the right," Elphaba mumbled to herself, squinting as she tried to decipher the shapes ahead of her in the blackness.

Suddenly, there came a yell from behind, and then the sounds of footsteps as two large Gale Force men came barreling after them. Elphaba and Boq darted, and though Elphaba managed to blend into the darkness in her black cloak, Boq was not so lucky. The guards caught him, one to each arm, and held him firmly. Boq struggled, but it was no use, for even he was no match for the two men. Trying to meet Elphaba's eyes in the darkness, he silently told her to go on without him.

Elphaba, however; had other plans. With a few quick words that no one understood, she flung her arms to the side, and Boq felt the men's grips on his arms disappear as they were thrown aside like rag dolls. Boq looked at Elphaba, shocked at her sudden display of power and also slightly grateful for the rescue. However, neither said anything about it as they simply continued on to their destination, their feet shuffling on the plush carpet as their steps grew quicker.

They came upon the door Glinda had mentioned and Elphaba swung it open without hesitation. Inside they found a very large and spacious room, decorated in various shades of pink. A large, pink canopy bed was situated in the center of the room, and it was furnished with various other pieces of furniture, such as a nightstand, a couch and a rather large armoire. The walls were painted a light pink color, and a fuzzy pink carpet lined the floor under their feet. The room screamed Glinda.

Elphaba shook her head, and Boq could have sworn he saw a trace of a smile on her lips as she moved further into the room. She tried the first door, which lead to a very large and pristine bathroom, before moving on to a door on the far side of the room. When this one was opened, it revealed a rather large walk in closet filled with gowns and dresses in varying styles and colors. The floor was littered with more pairs of shoes than Elphaba had ever seen in her life. It looked to her like her friend's closet from Shiz magnified ten fold.

Not sparing anymore thoughts on the immense wardrobe, Elphaba leaned her broom (she'd been carrying it since they'd landed earlier) on the wall near the door and headed to the far left corner, where she knelt down. She wondered vaguely how Glinda had remembered which dress she'd hidden the Grimmerie behind in a closet filled with so many gowns. She pushed the pink ball gown out of the way and began to open the various boxes of shoes behind it, mumbling under her breath about her friend's almost sick fetish for material objects. Finally, as she pulled the cover off of a box of pumps, she found the Grimmerie stuffed inside. As she removed the large book, something sprung out from underneath it. Amusedly, Elphaba realized it was her old pointed hat, which Glinda had been keeping folded down under the spell book. She took it with her, but did not put it on for fear that someone would identify her by it.

Having found what they came for, Elphaba stood up and walked over to Boq, who had waited at the entrance of the large closet for Elphaba to find what she needed. She held out the book for a moment to signify that she'd found it, and then made her way toward the door.

"Let's go spring the princess out of prison," she said, not waiting for Boq to follow her.

**And there we have it, a confrontation with Morrible and Elphaba is once again in possession of the Grimmerie. I hope this chapter turned out alright. In truth it's the chapters after this I'm more worried about, as I fear they might seem a little bit rushed.**

**Anyway, not really any comments that need a response this chapter, but thank you for your reviews all the same. Please leave a review for this chapter. I'd really appreciate it.**

**Till next time S.P.**


	13. Thunder and Lightning

**Hola peoples. Turns out my fiorst period teacher is absent today, which means I've got a first period study, during which I shall post this chapter. Squee. Anyways, thanks muchly for the reviews, I was happy with the response as always. As usual, comments will be answered at the end of the chapter.**

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Elphaba and Boq left the room and Elphaba closed the door behind them so it would not be evident someone had gone inside. The hallway seemed a bit lighter now, as the first rays of dawn were beginning to peak through the windows. They continued down the corridor and stepped over the two guards Elphaba had attacked, as they were still lying unconscious on the floor. They headed down the spiral staircase once more, moving more quickly now that they had what they needed.

However, perhaps they were moving a little too quickly, for they were getting a bit careless. As they were crossing back over to the door that would take them down into the dungeons, one of the guards shouted at them to stop. However, they had bolted around a corner and were on the steps to the dungeons before he could identify them. Thinking they'd kept going forward he ran straight past the door, allowing them to continue down the steps unseen.

Elphaba rushed down the stairs so quickly that she nearly tripped over her cloak. Boq was not far behind, but he moved considerably slower to keep his tin joints from clanking together as he went.

They found the cell where their friends were being held and stopped in front. The first guard Elphaba had knocked out had been removed, but no one had been sent down in his place yet, so Elphaba and Boq were free to move into plain sight. The prisoners in the cell brightened considerably as the two of them appeared.

"Oh good you found it," said Glinda, smiling tiredly. She was most certainly not used to staying up through the night, and having walked so far certainly had not helped her condition. However, as Elphaba set the spell book on the floor all thoughts of fatigue left her, and she moved closer to the bars.

"Yes, after nearly being smothered to death in that department store you call a closet. Do you even wear all of those dresses?" she quipped as she began flipping through the pages quickly. Her eyes scanned each page hopefully, trying to find a simple unlocking spell. Glinda marveled at the fact that her friend could read every line of the seemingly meaningless symbols that were printed across each page. Boq also seemed impressed by this, and found himself hoping that she would keep her promise and find a spell for him later on. It was funny, after traveling through the castle with her he found he had relaxed a bit more in her presence. She began to seem more like the Elphaba he'd known back at Shiz. The Elphaba who'd always had a wise crack, but who'd never intentionally harm anyone. He found himself rethinking his perception of her in the same way Dorothy had.

Elphaba continued to leaf through the pages quickly, but in her haste she had forgotten to keep her green hands covered. Unfortunately, one of the guards who was locked in the cell with Glinda noticed this, and, without thinking, suddenly shouted, "Holy shit! It's the freakin' Wicked Witch of the West!"

Elphaba stopped turning pages and cringed, realizing her mistake. She pulled her hand back into her robe, but it was too late. The damage was done. The three Gale Force guards all paled considerably and backed up against the far wall.

"Don't come any closer," one of them whimpered, trying and failing to put on a show of bravado. The three of them realized they had no where to go. They were caught between the Wicked Witch and a brick wall.

Glinda sighed as the guards whimpered pitifully in the corner. Men could be such babies. "Look," she said, "She may be the 'Wicked Witch', but she's going to get us out of here, so it would be appreciated if you could all _shut up._" Glinda was sleep deprived and sitting in a cold dungeon cell. She was not to be trifled with. The guards, still looking half petrified, silenced at Glinda's words. However, they continued to regard Elphaba as if she were about to set them on fire.

Elphaba, realizing it would make no difference now, pulled her hood down so she could better see what she was reading. This served to make the three guards gasp loudly, but she ignored them and continued looking through the book. Five minutes later she jabbed her finger onto one of the pages, a triumphant smile on her face.

She stood, picking the book up with her, and moved her hand in front of the lock. Glancing back at the page, she read the three short words of the spell and made a swishing motion with her hand. There was an audible 'click' as the lock opened and the door swung forward.

Dorothy, Glinda and Fiyero stood immediately. Fiyero gave Elphaba a quick hug and a kiss, glad she was safe. Dorothy simply gave her a small smile, a bit dumbfounded after seeing Elphaba actually perform a spell. The three guards rose slowly from the cell and inched around Elphaba as if she were going to lunge at them. Glinda, on the other hand, threw herself at Elphaba and enveloped her in a bone crushing hug.

"Oh Elphie, you were amazing," she squealed, happy to see her friend was OK and to be out from behind bars. She didn't like being confined to small spaces for long periods of time. She then turned to Boq and also enveloped him in a hug. Boq looked startled and Glinda blushed a bit after she let go. Elphaba smirked upon seeing this exchange but said nothing, smiling at her friend as she slammed the Grimmerie shut.

However, their small moment of rejoicing was cut short when a nearly deafening roar of thunder sounded from outside. Elphaba, Fiyero, Glinda and Boq looked at each other with wide eyes, knowing this could only mean one thing. They raced outside, Dorothy and the guards close behind, to have their fears confirmed.

Unlike the emptiness of the streets the group had experienced upon entering the city, there was now complete and utter chaos. Elphaba pulled the hood of her cloak back up to avoid being spotted, although that was unlikely to happen in the pandemonium that was taking place.

Ozians were running in every direction, most of them screaming at the top of their lungs. Some had children with them, tiny babies they were carrying in their arms or small, wide eyed toddlers that they were dragging along by the wrists.

The sky was nearly black with storm clouds, but it was not raining. Every few seconds a blinding flash of lightning cut across the sky or a crack of thunder sounded, which only caused the people's panic to increase. The streets were a sea of bodies, rushing in every direction with no destination and no clue as to what was going on.

A particularly bright flash of lightning flashed from the sky and struck a statue of Glinda that was situated just outside the main entrance to the palace. People rushing by dove out of the way to avoid being crushed by the falling debris and the pavement of the street cracked as it was struck.

The small group watched the scene from the entrance to the dungeons, four of them realizing that only one person could be behind all of this. As if giving confirmation, a cruel and almost insane laugh sounded from the heavens, almost inaudible over all of the commotion taking place below.

Half of the people on the street froze in their tracks and turned their gaze to the sky, and the half that hadn't stopped kept going until they crashed into someone. All eyes were on the sky in a matter of moments, and they were met wit the sight of Madame Morrible. She was hovering some fifty feet above the ground, suspended by some unseen force Elphaba assumed to be the wind.

Much gasping and pointing ensued, as the panicked frenzy of the Ozians started afresh. Madame Morribe shouted something, but the words were lost in the chaos her storm had created. Watching from the ground, Elphaba made a quick decision, not thinking about herself at all in the process.

Quickly pulling out her infamous black hat, she flicked it open and placed it on her head. Broom in hand, she darted forward before anyone could realize what was happening. Fiyero made a grab for her cloak, but his hand only brushed the material as she took off running. Glinda shouted after her, but her voice was drowned out by another ferocious roar of thunder.

Slowing her place slightly, Elphaba mounted the broom and took off, her small black form not even registering against the threatening black storm clouds that now dominated the Emerald City sky. She went straight for Morrible, who seemed to be having too much fun with her manic revenge scheme to notice opposition flying up to meet her.

Back on the ground, Glinda, Fiyero, Boq and Dorothy all exchanged worried looks. Even Boq, who had not trusted Elphaba mere hours before, realized what she was about to do and began to panic. The guards simply exchanged confused looks as Elphaba disappeared from their wake. Curnings looked like he wanted to ask Glinda another question, but he held his tongue, almost feeling the distress the others were exuding.

Glinda was overcome by the sudden instinct to shoot after Elphaba in her bubble. However she did not, knowing she couldn't just leave the rest of the party down on the ground. With Elphaba gone, it was up to her to take charge.

Glancing up at the sky, Glinda suddenly thought of the balcony in her bedroom, which was only about a few feet lower than where Morrible hung in the air. Turning to the group, she shouted, "Everyone upstairs!"

**OK, so this chapter was a bit shorter than the last one, but hopefully it did not disappoint. As you can probably tell, we're pretty much nearing the high point of the story, so only a couple of chapters left. **

**Anyways' I'll just answer some comments now: **

**GldnWlf: Yes I agree. Plus, it's just more fun to write her when she's got the awesome at magic thing going for her. **

**Sigma1: Well, the idea was that some of the older guards who had worked for Morrible before remembered her, and she had been slowly gaining their trust for the four years she'd been escaped and on the move. So it didn't just happen that she burst into the palace and accumulated a great following.**

**WickedJelly: Wow, someone actually reads my author's note and comments? Wow, now I feel special. :P**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, as always your response is appreciated, even though the response has been dropping as the chapters progress. Anyways, please leave me a review for this chapter if your have the time!**

**Till next time S.P.**


	14. Rage

**Sorry I couldn't get on yesterday, guess something was up with the site. OK anyway guys, here's the next chapter a little late. Thanks for the great response and wonderful reviews. Much appreciated, as always. Can't really think of much else to say at the moment. Enjoy the chapter and I'll answer comments at the end like I always do.**

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Elphaba took off on her broom, not thinking about anything except how much she wanted to bring down this woman who was wreaking such havoc on the Emerald City. Morrible, not paying the least attention to her surroundings, was caught completely off guard when Elphaba suddenly rammed into her, sending her off balance. She dropped a few feet before she managed to steady herself. She looked about wildly for her attacker, a manic gleam in her eye.

"Who dares?" she demanded, searching the sky. Her eyes fell on Elphaba's form floating a few feet above her.

Back on the ground, the citizens who had been looking up at Morrible watched as she was suddenly attacked and nearly fell out of the sky. However, the black hood still hid Elphaba's face, and she was barely visible in the dark sky.

Morrible looked shocked for a moment as she took in the figure on the flying broomstick and the green hands that were clutching the handle. However, she masked this quickly, her expression turning to one of rage.

"You!" she shouted accusingly, all restraint lost. The once prim and proper Madame Morrible had truly gone insane, "You couldn't have just stayed dead could you. Always have to play the little hero don't you?"

Elphaba glared back at Morrible. She wasn't quite sure what she was going to do, she'd really only planned this far. She sent her most scathing glare back at Morrible, but the effect was lost considering the woman could not see her face.

Morrible, summoning the winds, rose back up so that she was eye level with Elphaba, "Well guess what, you couldn't be the hero last time, and this will be no different. This city betrayed me, and it will bear the repercussions, whether or not a little green girl decides to play protector!"

Elphaba still stayed silent, seething as she watched the woman in front of her. She hadn't seen Madame Morrible up close since the day she'd first been proclaimed the Wicked Witch of the West. She felt a powerful rage begin to boil beneath her skin, unlike any she'd ever felt before. She could practically feel the sparks flying from her finger tips as the woman antagonized her. After all, this woman was the cause, whether directly or indirectly, of Elphaba's infamous title. She was the one who had pitted Elphaba and Glinda against each other, and the one who had told all of Oz lies about Elphaba. If it had not been for Morrible, Elphaba could have at least had a semi-normal life, but it was because of this woman she'd been hiding in the woods with Ffiyero for the past four years.

Morrible however, only seemed fueled by Elphaba's anger, and she emitted another cold laugh from deep in her chest. "I don't see why you care so much about these people. No one ever wanted you, not the people Oz, not your father, not your sister. I'm sure not even that bastard of a boyfriend you had ever wanted you around!"

Elphaba's eyes lit with fire at the mention of Fiyero. She didn't really care how many shots Morrible took at her about her worth, that she was used to. But Fiyero was one of a handful of people who actually cared for her, and she would not tolerate anything said about him.

Morrible simply continued to smirk at her former student, "Fine, don't believe me then? Want to be the hero so badly? I'll show you how much these people really want your help." Before Elphaba could do anything to stop her, Morrible sent a strong blast of wind at Elphaba, successfully causing her hood to blow off and exposing her face.

Although she had been nearly invisible a second ago, her emerald skin shone noticeably against the gray backdrop. The Ozians now realized who the mysterious person on the broomstick was, and their fear increased ten fold.

Shrieks and terrified cries arose from the crowd below, along with such phrases as, "I thought she was dead" "How can it be?" and "The Wicked Witch!" However, none of this registered with Elphaba. She'd long since drowned out any background noise. To her, it was just she and Morrible and the raging animosity she felt toward the woman. Elphaba would not even believe she was capable of this kind of hate if she had not been experiencing it.

Morrible laughed once more as Elphaba's identity was revealed, and Elphaba felt something inside of herself snap. Suddenly, all of the emotions she was feeling burst forth as she began chanting a spell she didn't even know she knew. She was startled by this, but found that she could not stop. Surprise shone briefly in Morrible's eyes, but she still did not wipe the cruel smirk from her lips.

Suddenly, there was a blinding flash, and Elphaba felt a powerful burst of magic release itself from her body. She could now faintly hear the shrieks of the Ozians below and the calls from her friends, who had presently arrived on Glinda's balcony in time to see what had happened.

Then, as quickly as it had come, the magic faded as the spell ended, and Elphaba found herself now sitting alone in the sky. Morrible had vanished, and with her had gone the storm. Bright rays of early morning sunshine now shone from the sky, giving no sign of what had occurred just moments before. Elphaba teetered dangerously on her broom, struggling to stay airborne. The spell she'd just cast had drained most of her energy.

That was when the reality of the situation hit her. She was up here alone, when moments ago Madame Morrible had been with her. That must mean that the spell she had cast…. She couldn't bring herself to finish the thought. No matter how horrible Madame Morrible had been, she could not bring herself to accept the fact that she could have…killed someone, no matter how unintentional it had been.

However, she was not given much time to dwell on the subject, for she was suddenly overcome with dizziness. Her hands slipped from the wooden handle of her broom and suddenly she was falling through the air, the only sound the whistling of wind in her ears and the shouts from the Ozians below. However, as quickly as she had fallen she stopped, and all grew silent.

For a moment Elphaba thought she'd hit the ground and that had been it. She looked up and saw nothing but pink for a moment, before it faded to black and she thought no more.

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Glinda, Fiyero, Boq, Dorothy and the three guards had reached the balcony in Glinda's bedroom in time to see Elphaba cast her spell. The former four had rushed out on the balcony, while the guards hung back.

Right after Elphaba had flown off; Glinda had done some quick thinking and rushed the group inside. They'd cut through the dungeons quickly and gone through the door on the other side. Glinda marveled all the way about the fact that she was able to move so quickly wearing a rather large gown and a pair of delicate high heels. The others, slightly startled by Glinda's abrupt change of plan, were struggling to avoid being left in the dust.

They'd cut through the castle, taking a short cut that Glinda had lead them to, and had reached the second floor with no problem. They'd nearly been apprehended on their way to Glinda's bedroom. Not paying much attention to her surroundings, Glinda had been caught off guard when someone had suddenly grabbed her by the wrist. Strangely she did not panic, but rather grew annoyed. She'd tried to squirm free, before she suddenly recalled a simple spell she'd memorized. She had tried to remember the words for a moment, and when they'd come back to her she'd begun to chant.

A small flame caught on the guards pant leg, which he noticed a few moments later when smoke began to billow up from the burning material. He had been so startled by the flame's appearance that he'd released Glinda, and that was all the time she needed to kick him in the shins and race into her room, the others following wide eyed in her wake. She'd flung open the heavy glass doors across the room and they'd stepped out onto the balcony.

They were met with a rather strange sight. Elphaba's hood had been flung back, and even from a distance they could see she did not seem pleased. Her eyes were narrowed in a scathing glare, and she looked ready to kill. Morrible hovered in front of her, saying something that caused Elphaba to growl in frustration and provoked a cruel laugh from the older woman.

Suddenly and unexpectedly, sparks of light had begun to fly from Elphaba's fingers, and then suddenly there was a blinding flash. Those on the balcony averted their eyes to avoid being blinded, and when they glanced back up Morrible had vanished. Slowly, the black storm clouds parted, and small streams of light began to peak through until the sky was bright and sunny once more. They watched wide eyed as the spell finally ended, amazed as the realized what must have happened to Morrible.

All eyes now turned to Elphaba. The Ozians below, feeling that they had fallen out of the frying pan and into the fire, once again became a blur of frenzied chaos as they realized that the Wicked Witch of the West was in their midst. However, Elphaba looked anything but menacing at the moment. She wobbled a little bit, perched precariously on her broom stick. Then suddenly her eyes closed and she slumped forward. She fell through the air, her broom stick also falling with no rider to keep it aloft.

Glinda watched wide eyed as her friend fell and summoned a bubble as quickly as she could. Ozians stopped to watch the falling witch, those beneath her scrambling to get out of the way. Elphaba fell about ten feet before she was caught by a large pink bubble and lost consciousness.

**OK, I know what you're probably thinking, it was extremely stupid of Elphaba to just rush in like that. However, I figure since she'd so headstrong and does genuinely care about people for the most part, I don't think it's totally far fetched. Also, can't forget the fact that Morrible's probably the person in Oz she despises more than anyone else. **

**As you can see, we're nearing the end at this point. Just one more chapter and the epilogue left! OK, now I'll answer some comments:**

**WickedJelly: Lol, I didn't even realize that sounded gangsta (don't worry, I totally sound like a white nerd as well P) until you mentioned it. IT made me laugh when I reread it. But at least I get cookies now . Oh, I always read the author's notes and comments too. Never know when there are important tidbits of information stored there. **

**Not sure about the abbreviation thing. I assumed OK was alright, since I just view that as another way to spell it instead of an abbreviation. I don't think I've ever actually written okay. I'm not sure though, all of these obscure grammar rules are making my brain hurt.P**

**Sigma1: Lol, you sound like you're speaking from experience. Terrorize any cities lately? O.O I'm keeping my eye on you. **

**Well, that's all for now. Please leave me a review and I shall love you forever!**

**Till next time S.P.**


	15. Fellow Ozians

**Hey guys, and welcome to the next chapter. Wow, I'm depressed. This is the last chapter of this fic. All that's left after this is the epilogue. How saddening, I'll have too much time on my hands when this fic is finished! Anyways, thanks once more for your awesome reviews and support, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. As usual, I will answer the comments from reviewers afterwards.**

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The Ozians below watched with wide eyes as their leader appeared seemingly out of no where and caught the Wicked Witch of the West in one of her famous bubbles before the green woman hit the ground. There was silence for a moment before cheering erupted, the Ozians overjoyed that their leader had seemingly captured the Witch.

Glinda carefully maneuvered the bubble back over to the balcony, her hands shaking. She concentrated as hard as she could, not wanting to drop the spell and send her friend plummeting to the ground. Once the bubble was over the balcony Fiyero positioned himself underneath and Glinda popped it. He caught her in his straw arms and fell back onto the cement, neither of them harmed in the landing. He looked her over worriedly for a moment, brushing a stray strand of hair out of her face, before taking her pulse. It was steady, which he was grateful for.

"It's alright. She's unconscious, but she'll recover. Whatever that spell was must have really taken a toll on her," he said, relieved. He'd been worried she had suffered permanent damage.

Glinda nodded, also relieved by the good news, before turning back to the streets below. The Emerald City was a mess. Ozians were everyone, having fled their homes when Morrible had begun to attack with the storm. The streets were cracked in several places, and many of the statuaries and fountains that had adorned the front of the palace were destroyed, their remains littering the ground. Trees and streetlights had also fallen, and many of the roads had been blocked. Everything was a veritable mess.

However, despite the destruction, the Ozians cheered loudly for their ruler, who they believed had saved them from the threats of both Morrible and the Wicked Witch. In their minds the Witch would now be locked up and they would be free of her forever.

Glinda was almost tempted to let them believe this. She wanted nothing more than to hide Elphaba in the palace, to be her friend's protector for once instead of the other way around. However, as she watched Fiyero cradle Elphaba's unconscious form she knew this was not possible. The Ozians needed to know the truth or this mess would never be sorted out. After all, how long would it be until the next time someone else spotted Elphaba? So instead she took a deep breath and turned to face the large crowd that had gathered.

"Fellow Ozians," she began, the same way she always greeted the people, "Let us be glad, for today wickedness had been thwarted once more."

The Ozians' cheering increased at this statement, and Glinda waited for them to settle down before she continued.

"However, by wickedness, I do not mean the Wicked Witch of the West. Rather, she is the true hero on this day," she said, waiting with bated breath for the inevitable response of the citizens of Oz.

Almost immediately the clapping died down as those in the crowd stared up at their leader with confusion written across their faces. Surely Glinda the good was not protecting the Wicked Witch of the West. They waited for her to further explain the meaning of her words.

"The horrible woman who terrorized this city today was Madame Morrible, the very same person who first spread the rumors about the Wicked Witch of the West. But you must believe me, my dear Ozians, that they are nothing more than vicious rumors. In truth the Wicked Witch has done us a great good today. It was she who banished this horrible woman from our fair city. You have seen it with your own eyes." she continued uneasily.

Below, the Ozians in the street began to grow restless as their ruler spoke. Surely what Glinda was saying could not be true. They knew first hand the wickedness the Witch was capable of. The people began to shout, questioning Glinda or objecting to her comments on Elphaba's goodness.

Glinda waved her hands as a signal to settle down, but the Ozians would not have it. They continued with their accusations, and Glinda was powerless to stop them.

Then, to everyone's surprise, Dorothy stood and strode to the front of the balcony. Despite the fact that it had been years since they had seen her, the Ozians recognized their young hero almost immediately. They quieted down for her as she began to speak nervously.

Dorothy took a gulp of air and tried to unclench her throat. She'd never been very good at speaking in front of people, and a crowd of this size did nothing to assuage her fears. She avoided eye contact as she spoke, her voice coming out more softly than she'd intended, "Y-you should all listen to Glinda. I didn't believe her at first either, but she really is telling the truth. I've seen the proof with my own eyes."

The Ozians stood stock still as Dorothy finished, before they turned to each other and the muttering started up. They knew this girl had been one of the Witch's prime targets before she had 'melted'. They were still not clear on how the Witch was alive in the first place. There were, after all, eye witness accounts confirming her death. Regardless, there didn't seem to be any possible reason why Dorothy Gale would stand up for the Wicked Witch of the West. The idea of mind control came up, but it was immediately dismissed. Most of the Ozians believed that Glinda's magic was even stronger than that of the Wicked Witch, and they could not believe that she could have fallen under a spell. Therefore, if Glinda wasn't under a spell, than it was probable that no one else was either. Besides, the Wicked Witch seemed unconscious at the moment, and even they knew it took a great deal of concentration to cast a spell.

Glinda smiled at Dorothy as the girl stepped back onto the balcony. She knew the poor girl had been shocked when they'd told her the truth about Elphaba, but she was extremely grateful that Dorothy had accepted it and even seemed to forgive Elphaba now. She hoped the girl's vote of confidence would stir the Ozians' faith in the truth that was being presented to them.

The murmuring seemed to die down a bit as the Ozians glanced back up at the crowd on the balcony uncertainly. It was certainly a highly unusual sight. Glinda, Dorothy, the Scarecrow and the Tinman, four of Oz's heroes and idols, were standing above them preaching the Wicked Witch's innocence. Even stranger was the fact that the Scarecrow seemed to be cradling her unconscious form in his arms, and Glinda the Good kept glancing worriedly at the Witch's still figure.

They didn't know what to believe. It had been so long ago when the Wizard had told them of the evil deeds of the powerful witch who rode around on her broomstick and terrorized poor unsuspecting citizens. If these stories weren't true, then why was there so much evidence pointing to them? If Glinda truly believed the Witch was good, why had she spent the last four years smiling and celebrating her death?

Still, the Ozians trusted four of the five figures on the balcony more than anyone else. Glinda had been their ruler for four years and, though they had not fully agreed with some of her choices, she had been nothing but good to the citizen's. The Tinman, likewise, had been a much needed relief to the Munchkins after the whole ordeal with the Wicked Witch of the East. Barring the Lion, these were the only people they'd looked to in times of trouble, and the leaders that had always pulled them through. If they had no faith in the ones who had already given them so much reason for trust, than they had a serious problem on their hands, and the Ozians did not like to have any messy problems to deal with. So, with reluctance and uncertainty, they decided they would take Glinda's word for now and see what came of it. After all, if the Witch really wasn't an enemy, than they had absolutely nothing left to fear for now, and the thought was appealing to them.

Hope began to bubble in Glinda's heart as she realized the Ozians were beginning to settle down a bit. With any luck it could mean that they were willing to give this difficult news a chance. However, Glinda pulled her eyes from the crowd as a tired moan sounded from behind her. Glinda glanced back to see Elphaba stir a bit. She did not wake up, but she seemed to be coming around. Fiyero smiled up at her as a signal that Elphaba would be alright.

Glinda turned back to the crowd and addressed them once more in a loud voice, "Well my fellow Ozians, I hope that you will put your trust in me and realize I would never tell you a lie. If you'll let us, we'd like to continue to do good for all of you and for our Wonderful land of Oz."

Glinda waited for a moment, but nothing happened. Taking the fact that a riot had not yet broken out as a good sign, Glinda waited for no further response before she turned and pushed the glass doors to her room back open. She ushered the others inside quickly, so that Elphaba could wake up in a quiet setting and not to the shock of standing over a rather large crowd of Ozians. Fiyero carried her into the large bedroom and laid her on Glinda's puffy pink bed. The others gathered around her as they waited for her to awaken. The guards continued to stand awkwardly off to the side with uncertainty and no idea what Glinda wanted them to do.

Elphaba stirred a bit more before finally cocking one eye open. The first thing she registered was a bright shade of pink and four faces staring back at her. She gasped and shot up into a sitting position.

"What the hell are you trying to do, give me a heart attack?" she said, glaring and clutching her chest. However, her usually sharp tone of voice was surprisingly weak, as she had still not quite recovered from her earlier spell casting. Dorothy and Boq backed up, leaving only Fiyero and Ginda standing over Elphaba like concerned parents.

"Take it easy Fae," said Fiyero, eyes filled with concern, "Whatever you did up there took a lot out of you. You fell off your broom and I don't know what would have happened if Glinda hadn't caught you.

Elphaba turned to Glinda, who was smiling widely at her, "I suppose I should be thanking you then" she said. There was none of her usual sarcasm in the comment, and a small smile played at her lips.

Suddenly however, the memory of what had happened previously, and her eyes widened, "Glinda, what exactly happened? Morrible…"

Fiyero cut Elphaba off before she could feel too guilty, "You did what you had to Fae. It's not your fault. She deserved what she got."

Elphaba reluctantly smiled at Fiyero, not accepting his words. How could she have…she couldn't face it. Her eyes became the tiniest bit blurry as she turned to Fiyero and gratefully accepted the hug he offered her. Looking around at the various shades of pink, she realized they were back in Glinda's room. Looking across the room, she could see that the doors to the balcony were open, and caught a glimpse of the large crowd outside that was just beginning to disperse.

She looked at her friend curiously she asked, "Glinda…what exactly happened while I was unconscious?"

Glinda simply smiled as she responded to her friend's question, "Well, that's not really important right now. All I can say is, with any luck, people around here might start to see the Wicked Witch of the West in a whole different light."

**And there we have it, the last chapter. I really wanted to use the title somewhere in this fic, and I'm quite happy that it turned out to be the last line. I know this ending was totally Toll House Cookie gooey and stuff, but I couldn't resist. I like seeing things turn out for the better in the end. Now there's only the epilogue left, which I actually haven't written yet cuz I've been lazy. I know exactly what I want it to say though, so I'll write it tomorrow and hopefully have it up on time. **

**Now I'll just answer a few comments:**

**WickedJelly: Yes, you are the first reviewer, and therefore, may have extra love. I always find reading your reviews especially interesting you know. Probably because you put a lot of your opinion in them.**

**Sigma1: Well, as far as Morrible goes, Elphaba pretty much just wiped her off the face of the earth. She pretty much realized that too, which is why she felt guilty before she passed out.**

**Western Arawen: Yes, I know what you mean, but you must take into account that Elphaba really didn't know what she was doing and pretty much had no control over it. Also, she does feel guilty about it afterwards. As for the Oblivion thing, I think I'd rather be dead than exist in nothingness, wouldn't you? Eh, wow, that just reminded me of a short story called 'The Bet' we were forced to read in English about two guys debating jail versus the death penalty. **

**Well, that's all for now, and thanks for your awesome reviews. Please leave a review for this chapter!**

**Till next time S.P. **


	16. Epilogue

**Wow, this is it, the final chapter. I can't believe it's actually over. Well, this is the epilogue, and the last part to this story. Not much else to say, so I hope you enjoy it. Thank you all so much for all of the reviews and support I received throughout the posting of this story!**

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Things did not return to normal in the land of Oz for quite some while. For weeks the Ozians were apprehensive, even with their halfhearted acceptance of Elphaba. Elphaba herself was also having a hard time adjusting as well. After a full day of rest to recuperate from her spell casting Elphaba was back on her feet. Soon after Glinda had explained what had happened while Elphaba had been unconscious. At first Elphaba had been annoyed at her friend for taking such a risk, then shocked to hear of the Ozians reluctant acceptance, and finally a bit relieved that her name had been cleared after such a long time.

The first time Elphaba had gone out in public, Glinda had been right beside her, practically dragging her uneasy friend into the busy streets. Dressed in her usual black gown, cape and infamous black hat, Elphaba still seemed very imposing, and the Ozians became very nervous and apprehensive. Some had pulled their children close and walked in the other direction, and some had simply frozen in place, watching wide eyed to see what would happen.

Elphaba had felt extremely uncomfortable in this situation, and her cheeks had flsuhed a dark shade of green. Glinda, however; would not allow the uncomfortable moment to last and, seizing her friend's hand once more, had given the Ozians a cheerful smile and wave and gone on her way. Elphaba had continued trying to hide her face as she and Glinda had walked down the emerald lined streets, but Glinda would have none of it, trying to open her friend up to being in the public eye. Eventually, seeing that Elphaba was not going to turn and hex all of them to kingdom come, the Ozians stopped gawking every time Elphaba walked past, and soon they hardly paid her no notice at all.

For the first two weeks since the group had been back in the city, Dorothy, Boq, Elphaba and Fiyero had all been staying in the palace with Glinda. Of course, everyone had been given separate rooms except for Elphaba and Fiyero. However, this arrangement felt very cramped, and soon after they'd had to make other arrangements.

It was decided that since Elphaba was the rightful heir to the position of governor of Munchkinland, she and Fiyero would move to that province and take on the role that Boq had previously filled. The Munchkins, and all of the rest of the Ozians for that matter, had, not unexpectedly, been very wary of the pair at first, but had soon warmed up to them when they began to see the strength that Elphaba had as a leader.

A few months after beginning their new life, Elphaba and Fiyero had returned to their cottage in the woods to gather up the few possessions they had left behind. They had decided to take Fiyero's map of their home, and it now adorned the large wall in their new living room. It was when they were leaving the woods that Fiyero had suddenly kneeled down and proposed to Elphaba. Shocked, Elphaba had responded enthusiastically, and a large emerald ring now adorned the ring finger of her left hand.

Dorothy had also begun to make decisions for her future. Glinda had offered Dorothy a place to stay in the palace but she had declined, saying that she would rather strike out on her own. Respecting the girl's decision, Glinda had then offered to find her an apartment in the city. Dorothy, however; had something else in mind, and perhaps it was fitting that she had become the first human to move into the Animal town of Roselburg. Ozians and Animals alike were shocked by her decision, but her friends and all of the Animals immensely approved of her choice. She and Toto moved into a small home that Glinda had graciously offered to pay for, and she'd gotten a job at one of the local shops. Her life was back on track and it seemed like she'd finally found what she'd been searching for in her return to Oz.

As for Boq, he and Glinda had been slowly growing closer, unbeknownst to both of them. They had ignored the knowing looks and smirks that Elphaba and Fiyero gave them, Boq knowing that Glinda could never fall for him and Glinda telling herself that nothing was happening between them. Perhaps that had made it all the more surprising when she and Boq had unexpectedly shared a kiss while having a friendly conversation one afternoon. It had actually not been as awkward as one would expect kissing a tin man to be, and Glinda found that she'd actually enjoyed it in some strange way. After that the two had become nearly inseparable, and soon after Boq had moved into the palace with Glinda.

Other things were beginning to happen in the land of Oz as well. With so much support from her best friend, Glinda had found her confidence had boosted a great deal, and with Elphaba by her side she had finally passed the act that would make Animals equal citizens of Oz. This had been met with uproarious protest at first, but it had eventually died down, and the Ozians had eventually accepted the Animals back into society. Slowly but surely, the Animals were beginning to spread out, and could now be seen outside of the small town that had originally been built for them, although Roselburg was still the area where most of Oz's Animals dwelled.

About a month later, Elphaba had finally been ready to make good on her promise to Boq. She had been holding on to the Grimmerie since the day she'd defeated Morrible, but she had not opened it again, as things had been too hectic and she hadn't had the time. One day however, she picked up the book and went to meet Glinda at the palace. The guards let her in immediately, recognizing her and obeying Glinda's orders.

After Morrible had been defeated, the mutinous guards that had assisted her had been imprisoned. The three guards who had stayed faithful had been promoted, and now shared the title of Captains of the Guard. Soon after Glinda had appointed a new group of young men to fill the open ranks, and their loyalty was to Glinda alone.

For the next week, Elphaba had worked with Glinda while trying to find a spell that would change both Boq and Fiyero back to their original state's. With Elphaba's help, Glinda had been progressing rapidly in her understanding of the ancient text, and her magical skills had strengthened as well. Soon after, they had found a spell they had deemed appropriate, and this was the day they had chosen to finally test it out.

Boq and Glinda stood in the foyer of the large palace, Boq's joints rattling with nervous anticipation as they awaited Fiyero and Elphaba's arrival. After having been through so much with Elphaba, Boq had replaced his trust in her, and the two had been able to form a sort of friendship. Eventually Elphaba had told Boq the truth about what had happened on the day he had become tin, apologizing for Nessa and begging him not to hold a grudge against her. Boq had accepted the apology readily now that the truth had finally come out.

Elphaba and Fiyero entered the large hall a few minutes later, and the friends greeted each other, all feeling the same anxiety as Elphaba placed the large book on the floor and kneeled in front of it. Hands shaking, she opened the spell book to the page she and Glinda had marked. Her eyes had scanned the words a few times before she had begun to chant; hoping with all of her might that the spell would achieve the desired effect.

She stopped after she finished the spell and looked up hopefully, waiting for something to happen. For a few moments all was still, and Fiyero and Boq looked at Elphaba questioningly. Suddenly, however; there came a blinding flash of light, and everyone in the room shielded their eyes against it.

Boq and Fiyero were thrown from their feet as the strange aura enveloped them, and they could feel something inside of them changing. This lasted for a full minute, before both men dropped to the floor, unconscious but fully human.

It was two hours later when Boq and Fiyeo finally awoke to the sight of two worried women hovering over them. They sat up quickly, both examining their hands as if they'd never seen anything quite like them in their life. Fiyero jumped off the bed immediately and gave Elphaba a hug before pulling her into a long kiss. As many times as she had kissed Fiyero in his straw form, Elphaba had to admit it was the best kiss she'd experienced in a long time.

"Sweet Oz Fae, you did it! I never doubted you for a second," he said breathlessly, admiration shining in his eyes. Elphaba blushed a bit and looked away at the praise.

Boq had risen soon after, and given Elphaba a quick, friendly hug, beyond excited with his new (or old, depending on how you looked at it) appearance.

"Thank you so much Elphaba. I can't believe I ever mistrusted you," he said as his face broke out into a huge smile. He really did consider Elphaba one of his best friends at this point.

Not wasting a second, he then turned to Glinda and pulled her into a kiss as Fiyero had Elphaba only moments before. Pleasantly surprised, Glinda had responded in much the same way that her friend had to Fiyero, returning the kiss just as enthusiastically.

When they were finished, Boq produced a small box. He kneeled before Glinda, smiling hopefully up at her, "Glinda," he started, dropping the formality of "Miss" for the first time, "I never thought that I'd ever have the courage to ask you this question, but I've never loved anyone more in my entire life. I was waiting to see if Elphaba could change me back before I asked you this…asked you if you would…marry me."

He smiled shyly up at Glinda, opening the box to reveal a small ring set with a small pink diamond. Glinda felt her heart melt as she looked down at him, and responded with an enthusiastic, "Of course I'll marry you Boq! Even if you hadn't been changed back it wouldn't have mattered to me. You should know that by now!"

Boq, enthralled, had picked Glinda up and spun her quickly, causing her to squeal. Elphaba and Fiyero had watched the two, smiling as they held each other's hands.

Glinda then shuffled over to Elphaba and enveloped her friendd in a hug, "Oh Elphie! I can't believe all of this is really happening. I'm so terrified that I'm going to wake up and find out this was all a dream!" she squealed.

Elphaba smiled and examined her friend's ring as Glinda stuck her hand out, Elphaba's own green ring shining brightly in contrast. The two both smiled knowingly. Pink goes good with green.

**Yes, I know, sappy and cliché, but I seriously couldn't resist. I tried to stop myself, but I had to have it as my final line. And now it's over. What am I going to do with myself now? Please review my final chapter. Even if you didn't review at all throughout the duration of this fic, at least tell me what you thought of it overall.**

**How about I write a sequel? I need something to keep me occupied anyway. Sooo, think it's a good idea? If I get enough reviewer response I can have a sequel up in a couple of days, maybe even by tomorrow. I have a five day weekend starting today, so it would certainly give me time to get started. Only if people actually want me to write one though.**

**Well, that's it I guess. Thanks for reading! S.P.**


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